Dreams
by bj7893
Summary: After the death of Hawkfrost, the forest is now in peace...well, most of it. Brambleclaw struggles to escape his father and brother in his dreams. Will StarClan help him out in time? Or will Brambleclaw fall?
1. Chapter 1

Hello all you Warriors fans! This is my first Warriors fanfic.

Even though I have read the first two series over and over and over again, I have only read up to The Sight in the Power of Three, but I plan on reading more in the future.

Anyway, here is my first Warriors fanfic, Dreams! Hope you like it!

I do not own Warriors!

Dreams

Chapter 1

"Hawkfrost, I'm so sorry…I didn't want it to come to this," a dark tabby tom meowed to a dying cat with a stick in his throat. Blood was pouring out of Hawkfrost like a waterfall.

"You fool…" the dying tom rasped. "You have more kittypet softness than that stupid kittypet over there." He flicked his tail towards a flame colored cat lying on its side. The tom had managed to get out of the fox trap he was in. His neck fur was stained with his blood.

"Hawkfrost, I do what I believe is right. Killing my leader is not the way I would want to become ThunderClan leader! You are the fool!" The dark tabby bristled.

"No you are the fool, Brambleclaw!" Hawkfrost said with more fury in his voice. "You think that you are safe now? The forest may be safe for now, but you are not!"

"What do you mean by that?" Brambleclaw asked, his ears flattened with worry.

Hawkfrost narrowed his eyes. "You may be safe in this forest, Brambleclaw, but you are not safe in your dreams!"

This made Brambleclaw's fur bristle with fear. Before, he would have some dreams where he would go to a dark forest to meet his father, Tigerstar. There, his father would train him and his brother in preparation to take over the clans in the forest. The times when they would have battle training, Brambleclaw's wounds would still be on him when he woke up. Brambleclaw was now scared. If Tigerstar decided to walk in his dreams again, Brambleclaw would surely be killed.

"That's right," Hawkfrost sneered. His voice was raspy again. He must have smelled Brambleclaw's fear scent. "Be very scared Brambleclaw, we will kill you." Those were the last words Hawkfrost said before he died. Brambleclaw looked at his kin, eyes wide of fear. _We will kill you._

Brambleclaw padded over to the wounded cat. "Are you okay, Firestar?" He asked his leader, trying to disguise his fear scent.

The leader raised his head and looked up at him. "Brambleclaw…" Brambleclaw had his head bowed. Just a few minutes ago, he debated on killing his leader. Surely Brambleclaw would be exiled now. "Well done, Brambleclaw." Brambleclaw gasped and raised his head again. Firestar seemed to know what Brambleclaw was thinking. "Your path has been hard, harder than most. But you fought a great battle here, and you won. You are a worthy deputy of ThunderClan. Any cat that won't trust you is a mouse-brain." Firestar then let his head fall back to the ground. He was exhausted and he was going to sleep good once he gets back to camp.

Glad that he didn't get exiled or get his title as deputy rebuked, Brambleclaw relaxed for a moment. For that moment, everything was perfect. The forest was at peace, he could settle into being ThunderClan deputy, and he and Squirrelflight could have a family. Brambleclaw was happy until he heard his now dead brother's voice in his ear as if he were next to him. '_You think you won? Wait until the next time we see you! You are dead!'_

_ 'You betrayed me and all you represent!'_ a new voice whispered in his other ear. _'Your brother and I will not forget this!'_ Brambleclaw felt sick. That second voice was his father's. Brambleclaw lie down and put his paws over his ears as the voices kept going. '_Don't ignore us!' _Brambleclaw closed his eyes, hoping that would drown out the voices.

Firestar must have smelled his fear scent, because Brambleclaw heard his voice. "What's wrong, Brambleclaw?" Brambleclaw opened his eyes. Firestar's head was raised and was looking at him in concern. All the voices disappeared, it was now Brambleclaw and his leader.

"The voices…" he replied panicky. He saw Firestar give him an awkward look. He decided he would confess everything to his leader. "Firestar…I don't know where to begin…" Brambleclaw trailed off again.

"Calm down, Brambleclaw," the wise leader meowed to his deputy. "Take a deep breath and start from the beginning."

"Alright," Brambleclaw nodded. He sat back up in a deep breath. "Right, it all started when…" Brambleclaw stopped talking. He could hear cats coming. "I'll tell you later, Firestar…but please don't tell Squirrelflight." Firestar looked at him and nodded in understanding. Every cat has their secrets.

Leafpool emerged from the forest along with Squirrelflight. Their eyes widened with fear once they saw the two. Leafpool opened her mouth to speak, but Firestar interrupted her. "Leafpool, Squirrelflight," he began. "It's okay. Hawkfrost set a trap for me, but Brambleclaw killed him."

_'Every cat sleeps, Brambleclaw,'_ Brambleclaw heard his father's voice in his ear again. Brambleclaw once again crouched down on his belly, hoping the voices would go away. _'And when you sleep, you know what is going to happen right?'_

"Brambleclaw, thank you. You saved his life!" his mate's voice interrupted the threatening voices. Brambleclaw shook his head and looked at her. She was checking over her father, Firestar.

"I only did what any other cat would do," he replied lamely. Brambleclaw then looked at his dead half brother. _'Maybe not every cat,'_ he told himself. Leafpool padded up to Brambleclaw.

"You're not hurt too bad are you?" she asked.

"No," Brambleclaw shook his head, still keeping watch on Hawkfrost's body, making sure he did not come back alive. "I can walk back to camp."

"Okay," Leafpool meowed. "I do want to check on you once we get back to camp though." Brambleclaw nodded his head. Leafpool turned around and saw all the blood on the ground. "Where did all this blood come from?" Leafpool finally saw what Brambleclaw was looking at. The dead RiverClan warrior's body was still bleeding heavily into the lake, making the water turn red in a certain area. "Before there is peace, blood will spill blood, and the lake will run red," her voice rang out.

"What did you say, Leafpool?" Brambleclaw asked. He took his eyes off of Hawkfrost and looked at the medicine cat. Was that a prophecy she just said?

Leafpool turned to him. "It's finally over. The peace has finally come."

Brambleclaw looked at her. "For you," he told her before he could think about what to say. He cursed himself for being so mouse-brained.

"What do you mean by that, Brambleclaw?" Leafpool asked.

Brambleclaw opened his mouth to say it was nothing to worry about. But then a thought stopped him from saying anything. _'She is a medicine cat. She is close to StarClan. Maybe she can help me!'_ But Brambleclaw shook his head. "Nothing," he mumbled before walking back to Firestar.

"Brambleclaw!" Squirrelflight called as he got to his leader and mate. "Thank you so much!" She got up and brushed her pelt up against him. "Are you okay?" She must have just noticed the blood on his pelt.

"Yeah, Leafpool will treat me when we get home," Brambleclaw explained. He turned to Firestar, who was just now starting to stand up. "What do we do about Hawkfrost?"

Firestar looked at the dead cat. "We'll drag him into the woods for now and leave him. We need to find a way for RiverClan to find out but will not show hostility towards ThunderClan."

After a few minutes of silence, Brambleclaw spoke up. "I could take drag his body over to the two-leg place and we could blame it on them. The two-leg scent is strong enough to cover our scent."

Firestar nodded. "I don't really want to do this, but unfortunately we cannot risk war with RiverClan. We are still recovering from the badgers attack."

"I will take care of it then," Brambleclaw meowed.

"No. Squirrelflight and I will do it. Brambleclaw, you need to check your wounds," Firestar ordered. "No one is to speak of this event to anybody." With that, he and Squirrelflight went to get Hawkfrost's body.

"Firestar, could I send back another warrior in case you run into trouble?" Brambleclaw asked.

"Only if it is Sandstorm," Firestar called back. Brambleclaw nodded and took off back to camp with Leafpool.

As they were approaching camp, a group of ThunderClan warriors who looked like they were in a hurry approached the two. Brambleclaw could make out Sandstorm, Ashfur, Dustpelt, Cloudtail, and Brackenfur. "We got the situation taken care of, Ashfur," Leafpool meowed.

"But what about Hawkfrost?" Dustpelt asked.

Brambleclaw and Leafpool's eyes met for a moment, but Brambleclaw glanced away. "Hawkfrost?" Brambleclaw asked. "What about him?"

Ashfur stepped forward. "I saw you and him!" he accused. "I saw you both sit there watch Firestar struggle in the fox trap! Speaking of which, where are Firestar or Squirrelflight?"

"And why is your fur stained with blood?" Sandstorm observed. "You look exhausted, like you were in a fight."

"Sandstorm," Leafpool looked at her mother. "Firestar and Squirrelflight need your help. Follow our trail all the way to the lake."

"Firestar's orders," Brambleclaw added to the senior warrior.

"No wait Sandstorm…don't listen to him! He is lying! He is a traitor…no better than his father!" Ashfur tried to convince the ginger cat.

"Ashfur, I am nothing like my father," Brambleclaw responded calmly. Now was not a good time to show hostility towards one of his warriors. That is not what a good deputy would do. Although, the thought of his father though put some fear into his mind. He can never go to sleep.

Sandstorm looked at Brambleclaw, to Ashfur, and finally to her daughter, Leafpool. "I'll go," she decided. "I trust Leafpool with my life." With that, she took off down the trail Brambleclaw and Leafpool came from.

"I want the rest of you to go back to camp," Brambleclaw ordered. "Firestar is fine."

"And how do we know you didn't kill him or Squirrelflight?" Dustpelt asked suspiciously.

Brambleclaw leveled his gaze at Dustpelt. "Firestar is alive. As for Squirrelflight, I would never harm Squirrelflight. I would never lay a paw on her. Surely you know how I feel about her? You feel the same way about Ferncloud," Brambleclaw told him.

Dustpelt looked him in the eye, as if trying to sense a lie. Eventually, Dustpelt backed down. "Very well Brambleclaw. I believe you," he meowed. He flicked his tail to the rest of the group. "Our deputy gave us an order to go back to camp. He says Firestar and Squirrelflight are fine. I trust his word." With that, he took off back to camp. One by one, starting with Cloudtail, the cats started to go back to camp.

So what did you think?

It starts off a little slow, I know.

I have the first four chapters done and plan on updating soon.

Please leave some feedback. I would appreciate it as it would improve my writing!

Until next time!


	2. Chapter 2

Here is my second chapter of Dreams

I do not own Warriors!

Dreams

Chapter 2

Leafpool felt Brambleclaw shiver from the touch of chewed up herbs on his wound. Leafpool saw that Brambleclaw a few light scratches on his pelt, but the only one she is worried about is the deep one on his neck. "I'm going to keep you confined to camp for a day or two," Leafpool told her deputy. She finished up spreading the herbs around his gash. "Go back to the warriors' den and get some rest. You've done well today." She gave him a friendly lick on his ear. "Thank you so much…you've saved Firestar and probably the whole forest."

"It was nothing," Brambleclaw muttered. Leafpool could not understand why he was not more proud.

"Something is troubling you, Brambleclaw. Are you and Squirrelflight fighting again?" Leafpool questioned.

"No it's not that...it is something else," Brambleclaw answered her. He looked up at her. "Leafpool, you can keep a secret right? I mean you are a medicine cat."

Leafpool looked at his amber eyes. Maybe it was time to come clean. "Don't bother. I already know your secret," she meowed. Brambleclaw's eyes widened in shock and horror. He opened his mouth to say something, but Leafpool beat him to it. "Yes, I know you visit Tigerstar in your dreams. I walked in on one of your training sessions. No, nobody else knows."

Brambleclaw could not speak for a few moments. "I…I don't know what to do," he confessed to the light brown medicine cat. "Hawkfrost told me he and Tigerstar were going to get me when I sleep. I can't control my dreams, Leafpool. What do I do? I have to sleep sometime!" His tail swished around frantically.

"I don't know, Brambleclaw," she meowed after a few moments of silence. "All we can do is hope and put our faith in StarClan. Maybe they can help you with your dreams."

"If StarClan could control all of my dreams, then Tigerstar would not have come to me in the first place!" the deputy meowed frantically.

"I'm sorry, Brambleclaw, there is nothing I can do. All we can do is put our faith in StarClan," Leafpool repeated, trying to calm the rarely panicking cat. She has never seen this side of Brambleclaw before. "Brambleclaw, take a poppy seed and calm down."

"No no no," he muttered, shaking his head. "I don't want a poppy seed, that'll make me sleepy. When I sleep, Tigerstar and Hawkfrost will get me!"

"Brambleclaw, calm down!" Leafpool hissed. "Listen to yourself. They are already getting in your head. You don't have to take the poppy seed, but you will get some rest!"

At once Brambleclaw snapped out of it. "You're right, sorry Leafpool." Brambleclaw shook his head. "I'll try to get some rest." Brambleclaw turned and walked out the medicine cat den.

"I want to check your wounds as soon as you wake up!" Leafpool called out to the tabby, who muttered to something about patrols to Dustpelt.

"Brambleclaw!" a new voice called out across the clearing. Leafpool knew only one cat would be that loud and sound that happy to see Brambleclaw. Squirrelflight came sprinting up to his side and brushed her pelt against his. Leafpool could hear her purring from the medicine cat den.

Behind her, their mother and father, Firestar and Sandstorm padded up to Brambleclaw. Sandstorm gave Brambleclaw a quick lick on his ear. Leafpool could guess that she thanking the warrior. Leafpool decided to check her leader again.

She, along with every other cat in the camp at the time, walked up to their leader and find out just what is going on. "Firestar! You are alive! Brambleclaw was telling the truth!" Brackenfur shouted with glee.

"Of course he was," Squirrelflight replied curtly. "He is our deputy!"

"Firestar, can you tell us what is going on?" Dustpelt asked.

"Of course," Firestar meowed. He then yowled out the familiar words. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Highledge for a clan meeting!" As soon as everyone joined, Firestar began. "Today, while I was hunting by myself, I accidentally stumbled into a fox trap and it caught my neck. I eventually lost one of my lives. Right as I was recovering from losing a life, Brambleclaw arrived, he had been hunting also. As soon as he started digging out the stick that kept the trap tight, a fox appeared. Brambleclaw fought off this fox by himself and eventually he set me free." He turned to his deputy. "I thank you Brambleclaw. The clan honors your bravery and courage."

Brambleclaw dipped his head in embarrassment as the clan started chanting out his name. Leafpool could tell that he was exhausted. As soon as the meeting ended, Firestar called something else out, "I want all senior warriors in my den! You too, Ashfur." Leafpool saw all the warriors go up to Firestar's den. Leafpool guessed Firestar was going to tell them the true story. The meeting did not require a medicine cat, so Leafpool went to the nursery to check on the kits.

"Hey Leafpool!" Berrykit, the most active of his litter squeaked as soon as she got in there. "Can you believe it? Brambleclaw fought off a fox all by himself!"

"Hey, Berrykit," Leafpool called back. "You are getting big! When are you to be apprenticed?"

"Firestar said very soon!" the energetic kit cried. "I can't wait! I'm going to be the best apprentice ever!"

"I'm sure you will," Leafpool meowed gently. She turned to Sorreltail. "How are your kits?"

"They are doing great," the queen purred. She gestured to the pile of sleeping kits. Leafpool could make out the hauntingly familiar Cinderkit, the reincarnation of Cinderpelt, Leafpool's mentor. Cinderpelt had given her life to deliver Sorreltail's kits during the vicious badger attack that also killed her brother, Sootfur.

"Do you need any borage?" Leafpool asked, not taking her eye off Cinderkit.

"No, I think I have enough milk," The new queen replied.

"All right. But if you are having trouble, you come find me."

"I will do that, thanks Leafpool. ThunderClan couldn't have a better medicine cat," Sorreltail meowed. Leafpool dipped her head and left. She had not noticed how hungry she was until she saw the fresh kill pile. Her mouth watered in anticipation of food. As soon as she bent over to get some prey, she saw cats coming out of Firestar's den. She looked over at Brambleclaw, who was walking next to his mate. Brambleclaw looked asleep on his feet. She thought of what she could do for the tabby, but she could not come up with a solution. Hopefully, StarClan could help him. ThunderClan needs a deputy like Brambleclaw.

She walked up to the deputy. "Brambleclaw, we need to talk to Firestar," she meowed. Brambleclaw looked at her, then Squirrelflight.

He nodded. "Squirrelflight, I need to talk to Firestar. Can you go and lead a hunting patrol?"

"Sure," she nodded before going off to collect some more warriors.

After watching her for a few moments, Brambleclaw turned to Leafpool. "Right, let's go." The two made their way to Firestar's den. They saw Firestar and Sandstorm outside of the leader's den.

"Firestar, we need to talk," Brambleclaw meowed.

Firestar glanced at the two newcomers. "Very well," he nodded. "Sandstorm, can you give us a moment?" Sandstorm nodded. She turned and headed towards the fresh kill pile. "Come." Firestar flicked his tail towards his den.

"I suppose you are here to tell me what is wrong with you, Brambleclaw?" The flame colored cat asked.

"Right…Firestar," Brambleclaw began. However, it seemed he lost the will to speak. Leafpool gave him a gentle flick from her tail, as if beckoning him to go on. Brambleclaw shook his head. "Right, you know how sometimes you get dreams from StarClan?" Firestar nodded. "Well I have dreams from the other side. The Dark Forest, I believe it is called." After a confused look from Firestar, Brambleclaw went on. "At this forest, I have been meeting Tigerstar."

"Tigerstar?" Firestar's fur bristled in alarm. He looked past Brambleclaw as if expecting the dead leader to appear in the entrance.

"Yes, Tigerstar," Brambleclaw sighed. Exhaustion was getting the best of him. "He…he was training me and Hawkfrost. At first, I thought he was just training us to be better warriors for our clans. But then he started talking about taking over all the clans and ruling them jointly with Hawkfrost. I don't want that. There should always be four clans! Hawkfrost and I set up a meeting today. I just wanted to discuss with him my concerns about Tigerstar. I had no idea that Hawkfrost and Tigerstar were working against me until I saw you caught in that trap. I'm sorry, Firestar." Brambleclaw was on his belly, bowing to his leader.

"Brambleclaw, sit up," Firestar commanded. At once Brambleclaw sat up, his eyes frantic. "You saved my life along with possibly the whole forest. Your path has been a hard one, but your decisions have been the right ones." Brambleclaw relaxed, as if a huge weight on his shoulders were lifted.

"Firestar, there is one more thing," Leafpool interjected. "Tell him your worries, Brambleclaw."

"The thing about these dreams is that if I get hurt in the dream world, then I get that wound in the real world. I'm afraid Tigerstar is going to walk in my dreams again and try to kill me," Brambleclaw shivered.

Leafpool turned to her leader. His eyes were wide with worry. "Okay…Leafpool you have come up with a solution?"

"Not yet, Firestar," Leafpool shook her head. "Maybe StarClan can tell me when I sleep tonight."

"Very well," Firestar replied. "Until then, we just have to hope that Tigerstar does not walk in your dreams. I'm sorry Brambleclaw. The second we figure something out, we will let you know."

Brambleclaw dipped his head. "Thank you, Firestar. If you excuse me, I am exhausted and need some sleep. I hope I won't see Tigerstar tonight."

Firestar dipped his head. "Let us hope. You are dismissed." Firestar turned to Leafpool after Brambleclaw left. "I am concerned about him. I can already tell Tigerstar is getting to him. I guess he hears them sometimes during the day also. Earlier he was talking to me about the voices."

"He's been through a lot," Leafpool meowed. "He just killed his brother. Surely that would have some effect on him. Mix in the lack of sleep that he will probably get along with the stress of being a deputy and you have someone with problems. He will need us. But he will need Squirrelflight more."

Firestar nodded. "We will need to keep an eye on him. I will ask Squirrelflight to keep an eye on him as well. ThunderClan needs a deputy like him."

That is Chapter 2.

What'd you think?

Chapter 3 is coming out soon.


	3. Chapter 3

I'm back!

First off, I'd like to thank AnimeWolfAlienRaptor4 (awesome name btw), Sharpwhisper, and Cedarstar for your positive reviews. Thanks! I appreciate it!

Now, I'd like to present to everyone…Chapter 3 of Dreams!

Dreams

Chapter 3

Brambleclaw opened his eyes. The last thing he could remember was curling up and passing out from exhaustion. He breathed out a sigh of relief. He had not seen the dark forest during his dreams last night. Brambleclaw sat up with huge yawn. It was time to start sorting out patrols. He felt Squirrelflight stir in her sleep next to him.

"Hey," he whispered in her ear. "You up for dawn patrol?"

"Mmmm...I guess," the she cat yawned. She uncurled from her comfortable position and stretched.

"Okay, get some fresh kill and we'll be off." Brambleclaw padded out of the warriors' den and out to the fresh kill pile. He grabbed a large rabbit and started tearing into it. He saw Squirrelflight come out of the den. Brambleclaw was hypnotized the way her dark ginger pelt gleamed in the morning sun. "Come share this rabbit with me, Squirrelflight," he called to her. Squirrelflight ran towards her mate.

"Thanks," she meowed as she bent down to take a bite. "I'm starving." The two sat there, waiting for the night patrol to come back. Brambleclaw saw Cloudtail on guard at the front entrance to the camp.

"Hopefully, today will be better," he murmured more to himself than Squirrelflight. Squirrelflight grunted in agreement.

"Brambleclaw, I'm concerned about you," Squirrelflight blurted out. "Yesterday, you just didn't seem yourself. You looked like you were waiting for a deadly enemy to attack you or something. I understand that you were sad you had to kill your brother, but please don't beat yourself up over it."

"Yeah…" Brambleclaw grumbled. "You were right about Hawkfrost though." Brambleclaw found a part of the rabbit on the ground in front of him and decided to push it around with his paw.

Brambleclaw felt Squirrelflight push up against him. "It doesn't matter whether or not I'm right. What matters is Firestar is still alive. You know I'm here for you no matter what. I will always be with you." Her words seemed to comfort him. Should he tell her his secret? No, not yet anyway.

He turned to his mate. "Thanks, Squirrelflight. It means a lot to me." Brambleclaw turned and saw the patrol they had been waiting for. "Hang on, I need to speak to Ashfur."

Brambleclaw left Squirrelflight eating their rabbit while he beckoned Ashfur to come towards him. Ashfur left the other two cats, Sandstorm and Thornclaw, and made his way towards Brambleclaw. Brambleclaw knew he had to approach the cat tactfully. Ashfur was still mad about Squirrelflight. "How was the patrol?"

"Nothing to report," Ashfur answered before trying to move past the deputy.

"Hold on, Ashfur. How was Bitchpaw's assessment yesterday?"

Ashfur looked back to Brambleclaw. "I had to stop halfway through because I saw the...fox trap thing," he whispered. "But what I saw, he did well. He did let a mouse get away because he stepped on a twig, but other than that, he did well." His voice now with pride in it. Brambleclaw could not wait to be a mentor.

"Okay. Keep up the training, Ashfur. It sounds like he is coming along great," Brambleclaw told the warrior. Ashfur nodded and left to the warriors' den. Speaking of apprentices, Whitepaw has been an apprentice since they were back in the old forest. Brambleclaw looked towards Firestar's den to see him and Sandstorm walk out. Now would be a good time to discuss Whitepaw. He walked back to Squirrelflight.

"Get Brackenfur out here," he ordered. "We need to talk to Firestar."

"Sure thing bossy paws," she replied with laughter in her voice. Squirrelflight left to the warriors' den and came back out with Brackenfur a moment later.

"What is it, Brambleclaw?" Brackenfur asked.

"I noticed that Whitepaw has been an apprentice for a while. Do you think it is time for her to be a warrior?" Brambleclaw asked.

Brackenfur dipped his head. "I do believe it is time. Her hunting and fighting skills are on par with some warriors."

"Let's go talk to Firestar about it. I'm sure he will agree." The three cats walked up to their leader. "Firestar," Brambleclaw dipped his head in greeting. He and Brackenfur began to explain their thoughts on Whitepaw.

"Very well," Firestar meowed after they were done explaining. "Brambleclaw, I want you to take Brackenfur and Whitepaw out to patrol the ShadowClan border. If all goes well, we'll hold her ceremony tonight."

/\_/\  
>( o.o )<br>^

"I Firestar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend you to her as a warrior in her turn." Brambleclaw stood and watched Whitepaw's warrior ceremony. Their patrol had gone uneventful. "Whitepaw," Firestar continued. "Do you promise to uphold the warrior and to protect and defend your clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Whitepaw's legs were quivering with excitement. "I do."

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Whitepaw, from this moment you will be known as Whitewing. StarClan honors your courage and kindness, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan." Firestar rested his muzzle on Whitewing's head and she gave him a respectful lick on his shoulder.

When she stepped away from Firestar, her clan started chanting her new name. "Whitewing! Whitewing!" Cloudtail and Brightheart, proud that their only kit was finally a warrior, were among the first to touch noses with her. Brambleclaw realized that this was the first apprentice to become a warrior under his deputyship. He also realized that there is only one apprentice now.

"Birchpaw is going to be busy for a few days until we get Daisy's kits to be apprentices," Brambleclaw murmured to his mate, Squirrelflight.

"Don't worry about it," Squirrelflight whispered back. "In a few moons, we might have as much as seven apprentices!"

Brambleclaw thought about it, and she was right. "ThunderClan is growing stronger," he muttered to himself proudly.

As the meeting broke up, Brambleclaw could hear Whitewing's mentor, Brackenfur, talking about how proud he was. Brambleclaw walked up to the new warrior and touched noses with her. "Congratulations, Whitewing."

"Thanks, Brambleclaw," Whitewing responded.

"Don't forget that you have to stay up and watch camp so we can sleep!" Squirrelflight teased.

After all the excitement died down, most of the clan went to their respective dens to go to sleep. "Are you coming to bed, Brambleclaw?" Squirrelflight asked.

Brambleclaw looked at her, and then at the Warriors' did. "No, I'm going for a walk." A walk might clear his head.

"Alright," Squirrelflight shrugged. "I'll save you a spot." Squirrelfight turned and walked towards the den.

"Squirrelflight wait!" Brambleclaw called. He sprinted towards her as she turned around. "Squirrelflight." He rubbed her pelt with his tail. "I love you more than anything, never forget that."

Squirrelflight looked him in the eyes. Her eyes full of worry and anxiety. "Brambleclaw…what's going on?"

Brambleclaw nuzzled her cheek. "Tomorrow…I'm going for a walk to clear my head and think things through. I promise tomorrow."

Squirrelflight seemed to understand. She nodded and went to the Warriors' den to sleep. Brambleclaw watched her. Just thinking about her made his heart beat fast. He loved her, no question about that. But would she still love him if he told her about Tigerstar? Maybe he will find out tomorrow. Maybe he will not. Brambleclaw turned and left camp. He nodded to the new warrior before heading out to the lake.

/\_/\  
>( o.o )<br>^

Brambleclaw made his way out to a clearing in the forest where he could watch the lake. He always like this clearing. It would give one a …peaceful, calming sense of feeling. "I can't run from them forever," he said to himself. "Every cat dies to join StarClan eventually…" Brambleclaw shook his head laid down in the grass. "I have to sleep eventually…they'll find me." There is no use in hiding anymore. Hawkfrost and Tigerstar will find him. When they find him, they will do their best to kill him. He had to accept his fate. "But I don't want to die yet…the clan needs me, Squirrelflight needs me." His voice sounds raspy and foreign to him. "And I need her…"

Brambleclaw looked up to the bare night sky. Leafpool told him StarClan would help, but why would StarClan let him go to the dark forest in the first place? He jumped up on all fours. "What do you want from me?" he screamed at his ancestors. "I completed your prophecy! Now I plead to you for help! Please just help me…I don't want to leave this place yet." Brambleclaw sat back down on the ground and did something he hadn't done since his sister left his clan. Tears started flowing from his eyes. He looked up for any sign that StarClan had heard him. He could see none. "StarClan have abandoned me."

Brambleclaw looked at the ground in front of him for what seemed like hours. Tears continue to fall freely from his eyes. He eventually looked up and set his eyes on a random tree in front of him. '_Not even time can kill us,'_ Hawkfrost's voice rang out in his head. "Get out of my head!" Brambleclaw yowled. He put his paws over his ears dug his head into the ground. "Get out of my head!"

Then, something clicked in Brambleclaw's head. He brought his paws off his ears and lifted his head. If he were going to die, then he would join the ranks of StarClan. He would help watch over his clan, warn them of danger, or help them in their greatest time in need. "I can protect them from StarClan…I can watch over Squirrelflight," he muttered to himself. He now stood proudly, with more confidence. "Hawkfrost, Tigerstar! If you want to fight, then so be it! I will not go down without a fight! I will kill you many times over!" he yowled in the distance.

"I am not scared of you anymore," he whispered. Brambleclaw settled down in a comfortable position. "Father, Brother, bring it on. I will hunt you down." Brambleclaw fell asleep quickly.

Next thing he knew, he was in the dark forest. "Hello, Brambleclaw," Brambleclaw heard the voice of his father.

So that is Chapter 3!

What did you think?

Chapter 4 will be out in a few days!


	4. Chapter 4

What's up?

Not much to say about this chapter.

I would like to thank Willowfur, AnimeWolfAlienRaptor4, and SkaterGirl246 for you reviews.

I appreciate them! Thank you!

AnimeWolfAlienRaptor4: I didn't even notice the Bitchpaw typo. I guess I dislike him so much I unconsciously insulted him lol. Thank you for pointing that out though. =]

Chapter 4

Brambleclaw opened his eyes. He knew immediately he was in the dimly lit dark forest. He looked to his right and saw his two dark family members. "Hello Tigerstar, Hawkfrost," Brambleclaw dipped his head in greeting.

"Brambleclaw," his father began. "Hawkfrost and I were so enraged at first, that we decided we would kill you. However, after some much thought, we decided to give you another chance. You see, you and that weakling over in ShadowClan, Tawnypelt, are the only of my kin that is left that I can influence. Tawnypelt shows more kittypet softness, so we decided to go after you. You will take over the clans for us."

Brambleclaw looked to his brother, Hawkfrost to see nothing but hate in his eyes. Brambleclaw shook his head in disagreement. "It looks like you're going to have to kill me."

"I'm afraid that is not an option," Hawkfrost sneered. "Remember, you are not the only cat who we can walk with in their dreams."

"Yes," Tigerstar grunted in agreement. "How about that precious kittypet mate of yours? Would she look as pretty if she were dead?"

His eyes widened in fear. "You keep Squirrelflight out of this you damn coward!" Brambleclaw screamed at his father.

"We will, if you do what we want," Hawkfrost meowed. He and his father were now smiling, knowing that they just struck a chord.

Brambleclaw looked at his father in rage. "What is it you want from me?"

This time, Tigerstar answered. "We want you to kill Firestar and eventually take over all the clans." Brambleclaw could not believe what he was hearing. These cowards decided to hold Squirrelflight hostage and make him to their bidding. Brambleclaw narrowed his eyes at his father. "Yes, that's it. Do you feel that hate? Do you hate me, Brambleclaw?"

A growl erupted from Brambleclaw's throat. "I have no father," his voice now icy cold. "And I have no brother. You are both cowards. I'm done here." Brambleclaw turned around and started to walk away. "Squirrelflight would never forgive me if I killed Firestar."

"You traitor!" he heard his father scream before being tackled to the ground. Brambleclaw thrashed around as much as he could, but he was stuck underneath the dark leader's grip. "Now you die!" He felt a pair of teeth clamp around his neck. He felt his father's jaw tighten more each moment. Brambleclaw felt he was going to suffocate. His vision gradually became darker. Brambleclaw's life flashed before his eyes. But then, he felt the weight on him disappear.

"You okay, Brambleclaw?" Brambleclaw heard a familiar voice. Brambleclaw's vision became clearer as he regained himself.

"You of all cats have some nerve to be here," Hawkfrost meowed.

"You of all cats have some nerve to try to be killing Brambleclaw," the cat shot back. "He's your kin! Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

Brambleclaw felt himself try to stand up. He turned to his savior to thank them. He saw the familiar dark ginger fur. "Squirrelfight?" he asked. The wound on his neck made every word he said sound muffled and painful.

Squirrelflight turned around. Brambleclaw saw the worry evident in her green eyes. "Is this what you were afraid of telling me you mouse-brain?" Brambleclaw nodded. He opened his mouth to respond, but Squirrelfight put her tail over his mouth. "We'll talk later. For now, let's just try to get out of here."

"You cannot escape," Tigerstar meowed. "We will always find you."

"You must be Tigerstar," Squirrelflight meowed.

"You don't have the right to say my name you kittypet filth," the dead ShadowClan leader snarled.

Squirrelfight ignored the threat. "Brambleclaw, we need to get out of here."

"Maybe if we ran and set up an ambush," he whispered hoarsely. Blood was still dripping down his fur from the wound on his neck.

"But you're wounded, you surely wouldn't keep up with me and they would catch you. We are going to have to fight them," Squirrelflight meowed.

"Squirrelflight, it's my fault you are here. Leave me here, you can still get out," Brambleclaw whispered urgently.

"You stupid mouse brain!" she hissed. "I chose to come in here to save you! We're in this together."

Brambleclaw held his head down. She chose? How did that happen? "Okay, Squirrelflight. You always were stubborn. I'll take Tigerstar, you take Hawkfrost." Without saying anything else, Brambleclaw took off and leapt towards his father.

Tigerstar met him in mid air and knocked Brambleclaw down to the ground. Brambleclaw quickly recovered and got back up on all fours. He had barely any time to counter Tigerstar's leap towards him. Brambleclaw was able to get his paw up rake his claws on Tigerstar's face. At the same time, Brambleclaw felt Tigerstar's claws scrape against his pelt. Both cats were knocked down.

Brambleclaw caught a glimpse of Hawkfrost leaping at Squirrelflight. She ducked under his leap and scratched his belly as he leaped over her. Brambleclaw now focused his attention back to Tigerstar. Brambleclaw charged at his father. Tigerstar rolled out of the way and jumped on Brambleclaw. Brambleclaw felt Tigerstar scrape his claws against the back of his head.

"Brambleclaw watch out!" Brambleclaw barely heard Squirrelflight's voice. Next thing he heard he felt something run into his back right leg. Brambleclaw heard his leg snap and he fell down. Tigerstar jumped off his back just before Brambleclaw hit the ground. It was Hawkfrost that ran into him. Brambleclaw looked up to see Hawkfrost about to jump on him. Fortunately for Brambleclaw, Hawkfrost was mauled in mid-air by Squirrelflight.

"Brambleclaw," he heard his father say. Brambleclaw looked up to see his father standing over him. "Last choice, Brambleclaw."

"I'd rather spend an eternity here!" Brambleclaw shot back painfully.

Tigerstar closed his eyes. "Very well then." Tigerstar stepped on Brambleclaw's broken leg and started to put pressure on it. Brambleclaw started to feel immense pain in his leg. He could feel the two shards of bone grinding up against each other. Immediately, he started screaming in pain. He tried to kick his father using his only good back leg, but Tigerstar dodged it. "Well well, looks like you still got some kick to you. Let's stop that now."

Tigerstar grabbed Brambleclaw's other back leg using his front paws. Tigerstar put one paw on the back side and one on the front side before starting to apply pressure. Brambleclaw yowled in agony as his other back leg broke. "You want to join us now?" Brambleclaw gritted his teeth and shook his head. Tigerstar started putting pressure on both of Brambleclaw's legs, making Brambleclaw scream. Tigerstar then poked his claws in Brambleclaw's belly and raked them through to his chest, up his neck, and across his face, resulting in three parallel scratch marks running down from his face to the bottom of his belly.

"Enough!" a voice yowled over the small battle. Brambleclaw looked to see a she-cat with blue-gray fur in his blurry vision. Tigerstar got off Brambleclaw and glared defiantly at the newcomer.

"Bluestar, StarClan has no say in what happens here!" he growled at his former leader.

Bluestar padded up to her old deputy. "Silence, you treacherous piece of fox dung," she growled back maliciously. Tigerstar let out a battle call and charged at the StarClan cat. He leapt at her, but Bluestar only lifted one paw and caught him in mid air. She pinned him down with her paw. "StarClan may not have much say here, but they still have more power. Do not forget that we too have teeth and claws!"

"Brambleclaw!" Squirrelflight yowled before running up to her mate. Brambleclaw saw that she had a large gash on her head and was bleeding down her face, but she seemed much more alert than he did.

"I think…I think I'll live," the dark tabby whispered. Squirrelflight nodded and brushed her face against his.

"Squirrelflight, Brambleclaw," Bluestar called. "It is time for you to wake up. I will sit and have a conversation with these two."

"Thank you, Bluestar," Squirrelflight dipped her head respectfully at the old ThunderClan leader.

Bluestar took her paw off Tigerstar and padded up to the current ThunderClan deputy. "Do not thank me yet, Squirrelflight. If you don't get him to Leafpool now, he may with us by the end of the night." Squirrelflight let out a shocked gasp. "You need to wake up and get him to Leafpool now."

/\_/\  
>( o.o )<br>^

Squirrelflight woke up in the clearing next to Brambleclaw. For a moment she was wondering how she got there, but then she remembered the battle in the dark forest. "Brambleclaw, come on!" she urged her mate. "We have to get you to Leafpool!" She tried to get him up, but his back legs were broken and he stumbled back down to the ground. "Damnit!" she swore. "Alright, I'll just drag you there myself."

She grabbed his scruff like a queen would to her kits. She started to drag him but she felt Brambleclaw tense up in pain when his back legs caught a rock. "Sorry Brambleclaw," she muttered. "It will probably be painful, but I we need to get back to camp." Brambleclaw, barely conscious, could only nod in understanding.

After much silence, they were almost to the camp entrance. Squirrelflight could see the thorn barrier in sight. "Whitewing is on watch, I think…" she muttered to herself. Exhaustion hit her like a two-leg monster. Brambleclaw had already passed out, but now she was starting to get tired. "No! I'm almost there!" she hissed to herself. "Come on! Push yourself, Squirrelflight!" Squirrelflight lowered her head and pushed forward towards the thorn barrier.

Because she had no time to stop to brush the blood away, the right side of her face was now covered in blood from her head wound. Squirrelflight now could not see straight. "Come on. StarClan help me!" she whispered to the heavens. She collapsed onto her unconscious mate just before the barrier.

"Whitewing!" she cried hoarsely. "Whitewing!" she called a little louder. Squirrelflight let herself catch her breath, she tried again. "Whitewing!" Her voice was now much louder. "Whitewing, help us!" She yowled at the top of her lungs. "Help!" She saw a white head poke out of the bushes.

"Squirrelflight?" the confused, horrified new warrior asked.

"Take Brambleclaw first. I can crawl," the ginger cat ordered. Whitewing nodded and took hold of her deputy's scruff. She dragged him through the thorn barrier. Squirrelflight crawled behind her.

"Leafpool!" Whitewing roared towards the medicine cat's den before dragging Brambleclaw towards their destination. At once, a tired looking Leafpool emerged from the den. She looked at the epicenter of the noise and immediately sprinted towards Whitewing.

"What happened?" She asked, shocked at the appearance of the dark tabby warrior. Whitewing shook her head as if saying, 'I don't know.' The three cats disappeared into the den.

Squirrelflight was trying her best to crawl towards Leafpool, but she was too tired to go on. "I got you," a voice said from behind her and picked her up by her scruff. Squirrelflight recognized the scent at once.

"Thank you, Ashfur," She whispered. The commotion must have woken him and others up. She could see Firestar running out of his den.

As soon as they got to Leafpool's den Ashfur put her down gently. "Where do you want her at?" he asked. Leafpool flicked her tail towards some empty bedding. Ashfur helped her over to the area. "I hope Brambleclaw gets better. ThunderClan needs a deputy like him."

"Thank you, Ashfur," Squirrelflight repeated. Ashfur dipped his head and left. Squirrelflight focused on Brambleclaw.

"Where's Brightheart? Brightheart!" Leafpool yowled. Squirrelflight at once caught a scent of the she-cat. "Brightheart I need your help! Get some marigold and cobwebs. Everyone else, get out!" Everyone else cleared out immediately, not even daring to cross Leafpool. "His heartbeat is slowing down…where is that marigold? We're losing him!" Squirrelflight tried to listen to her sister to see if Brambleclaw would be alright, but she couldn't hear anything else. She was soon swept over by blackness.

That's it for chapter 4! Hope you like it!

I hope everyone has a happy and safe Fourth of July for those who celebrate it!


	5. Chapter 5

Hey! It's been a little while…just got back from the Yellowstone trip.

Sorry for the delay. I'm almost done with the story though.

Thanks for the review Willowfur!

Chapter 5

"How are they, Leafpool?" Firestar asked his daughter. Leafpool had just finished up with Squirrelflight and was now checking over Brambleclaw again.

The light brown tabby looked up at her leader. "Squirrelflight will be just fine. She should be awake by morning. She's more exhausted than anything." She turned back to Brambleclaw. The cat had obviously been tortured. "Brambleclaw…probably won't make it through the night. His back legs are broken, Firestar. Even if he does pull through, he will be in here for a long time."

Firestar closed his eyes. "Let us not give up hope. You are a great medicine cat, Leafpool. If there is any chance he will pull through, then there is still hope."

"Yes, there is always hope," Leafpool nodded in agreement.

"Do you think it was Tigerstar that did this," Firestar whispered, making sure no other cats around heard him.

Leafpool turned back to her father. "I believe it was. We'll get the whole story when Squirrelflight wakes up." She turned back to Brambleclaw, making sure his deep cuts on his belly were still sealed. She heard her father turn to walk away. "Firestar," she called his name before he could leave her den. "Brambleclaw has gone through enough physical damage, but from the looks of it, he was also tortured. The only way a cat could inflict a scratch like this is if the victim was pinned down and immobile. This is deep enough to scar, but it would not kill him very fast. I think whoever did this to him planned on creating more scratch wounds."

Firestar narrowed his eyes in anger. "That monster."

"Firestar, I don't know how you toms deal with emotional distress, but Brambleclaw has gone through a lot recently," Leafpool continued. "I do not think he can get through this on his own. You were his mentor and he is now your deputy. If he makes it through, he is going to need our help."

Firestar nodded. "I will help him with anything he needs. Come see me if he changes." Leafpool dipped her head then Firestar took off back to his den.

"Firestar!" another cat called across camp. Leafpool turned to see Dustpelt back from his patrol. Firestar immediately belted over towards the patrol. He sent them out shortly after Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw came back.

"What did you find?" Firestar asked.

Dustpelt shook his head. "Nothing. It was weird. We tracked their scent all the way to a clearing by the lake, where we found several puddles of blood. But there was no scent of any other cat or any animal. It was like something attacked them and disappeared."

"Okay, thank you Dustpelt," Firestar meowed. He turned back to Leafpool's den. "All evidence points towards Tigerstar," he concluded once he got to Leafpool's den. "I'm going to try to sleep some more, let me know the second when Squirrelflight wakes up."

"Yes, Firestar," Leafpool replied before going to check up on her sister.

/\_/\  
>( o.o )<br>^

Leafpool was busy stacking her herbs. It was already sun-high the next day and most cats were out hunting or on patrol. There was nothing more she could do for her two patients. Squirrelflight would make it, but she was not sure about the deputy. He had made it through the night, but Brambleclaw had suffered many injuries. "StarClan help him," she muttered.

She turned when she heard a stirring in Squirrelflight's nest. Leafpool immediately stopped what she was doing and ran to her sister's side. She saw her sister's eyes crack open slowly. "Glad to see you awake," the medicine cat meowed.

"Leafpool…" she rasped.

Leafpool covered her mouth with her tail. "Hush now, drink the water from this moss." She flicked her tail at a wad of wet moss next to Squirrelflight's bed. "I need to get Firestar, I'll be back."

Leafpool turned around and ran towards Firestar's den. "Firestar," she called when she got there. "Squirrelflight is awake."

Firestar sat up from his position next to Sandstorm. "Let's go see her." Sandstorm nodded and the trio went off to see Squirrelflight.

"She is a little dehydrated, but she should recover quickly," Leafpool explained to her parents. "I would like to keep her for a few days."

"Okay." Firestar replied as they walked into the medicine cat's den. Sandstorm took off towards her kit and began covering her in licks whispering hushed words. Firestar approached Squirrelflight and gave her a few licks himself. "Squirrelflight, can you tell us what happened?" he asked her.

Squirrelflight nodded. "Brambleclaw has been acting strange after he killed Hawkfrost. I've been concerned about him," Squirrelflight began. Her voice was less raspy since she had some water. "Last night, he talked to me as if it were going to be the last time he saw me. I asked him what was going on, but he said he would talk later. After he left camp, something told me to follow him, so I did. I tracked him down to the clearing where I saw him. He was acting…weird. He was yelling at StarClan, pleading for help. I…I wanted to help, but when I was about to move, a cat named Spottedleaf stopped me."

"Spottedleaf?" Firestar repeated. Leafpool saw her mother start to glare at her father. Firestar shook his head. "Sorry, Squirrelflight. Please continue."

"Right…" she continued. "Spottedleaf told me that he must figure things out himself. Eventually, it looked like he did. Next thing he did was challenge Tigerstar and Hawkfrost before going to sleep. After that, Spottedleaf told me that StarClan would be on their way to help him, but that he needed me too. She told me to lie down next to him and go to sleep. After I went to sleep, I saw Tigerstar leap on Brambleclaw and start biting in his neck. I knocked Tigerstar off just in time before he could kill Brambleclaw."

Squirrelflight shuddered. "He then attacked Tigerstar and I attacked Hawkfrost," Squirrelflight went on. "Hawkfrost caught me good in the head. In the middle of our fight, Bluestar came out of nowhere and stopped it. Tigerstar tried to charge her, but she pinned him down and told us to leave. After I woke up, I began to drag Brambleclaw back to camp. I collapsed at the thorn barrier and called out for Whitewing to help. After that, I don't remember much."

"I see," Firestar meowed thoughtfully. "Thank you Squirrelflight. It is good to see you still alive." Firestar dipped his head and began to leave. Sandstorm followed him.

"Leafpool, will Brambleclaw be alright?" Squirrelflight asked. Leafpool turned to see the despair and anxiety on her sister's face.

"I…I don't know. I'm sorry, Squirrelflight. He has been unconscious since you brought him back. He did make it through the night, but I'm not sure how much longer he will be with us," Leafpool replied truthfully. Squirrelflight nodded in understanding and turned to look at her mate.

"I just…I don't know what I'd do without him," she choked out as tears began to fall down her face. "He's been through so much recently…it's just not fair. I don't want to lose him"

Leafpool tried to comfort her by brushing her tail along Squirrelflight's flank. "I'm sorry, Squirrelflight. If there was anything I could do to make him better, then I would do it. Unfortunately, I have done all I can. He is in the paws of StarClan now." Leafpool did not know what else to do, so she sat there and tried to comfort her sister while she cried. After giving her a poppy seed, Squirrelflight later fell asleep.

/\_/\  
>( o.o )<br>^

It was the next day at sun-high as Leafpool trekked through the forest to find some marigold. Her stock pile was running low and she needed to be prepared in case something else might happen. She had left Brightheart to look over Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw. Brambleclaw was still alive and Squirrelflight had woken up a few times during the night, but she had gone back to sleep almost immediately. Physically, Squirrelflight was in good enough condition to be back in the warrior's den. Squirrelflight, however, was stressed about her mate. Squirrelflight will not leave the den until she knows Brambleclaw will be alright.

Leafpool shook the thoughts out of her head. She had to get some marigold! "Focus, Leafpool!" she hissed at herself. She paced her way towards the nearest marigold patch. She breathed to take in the fresh smell of the orange flowers. She always did like the sweet scent that emits from these plants.

Right as she bent down to pick some, she heard something moving in her direction, and fast. She got out of the way just in time to avoid Whitewing, who was running by her so fast that she did not notice Leafpool. "Hey you mouse-brain! You just trampled the marigold flowers!" she called out to the new warrior. But Whitewing had already disappeared into the trees. "Mouse-brain," she repeated again before turning back to the orange patch. She wondered why the new warrior was running that fast. Whitewing still was young, maybe she was just running off some energy. A few of the flowers were trampled, but were still usable.

Just then, she felt more footsteps running towards her. She looked up to see Thornclaw and Cloudtail running towards her as fast as they can. Leafpool stiffened. Now she knew something was wrong. Unlike Whitewing, she could see the terror in their eyes. "Run Leafpool!" Cloudtail called over to her.

"Run from what?" she called confusingly to the duo. Then she caught a scent she had not smelled in a long time.

"Foxes! Three of them!" Thornclaw answered. Right after he said that, Leafpool saw the foxes. She could tell just by looking at them, there were a mother, a father, and their son. What terrified Leafpool was the father fox. It had a couple of scars on it's face and his mouth had blood on it as if it had already killed a cat. But the eyes are what terrified Leafpool more. These eyes looked as if they were going to try to kill every single cat on this lake, like they had been wronged by the cats. This satanic fox was also huge, the biggest she has ever seen.

Leafpool turned and ran just a tail-length in front of Thornclaw and Cloudtail. "We sent Whitewing off to warn the camp!" Cloudtail called from behind her. "The big one already killed Spiderleg and Rainwhisker is probably on his way to join StarClan as well. The fox broke his leg and he told us to warn the camp and set up an ambush there while he would buy as much time as possible! Seeing that the foxes are on our trail, I think they killed him!"

Leafpool bowed her head a little in remembrance. These foxes already killed two of their warriors. The only chance of having no more lives lost is setting up an ambush in camp. "We need to yowl that they're coming when we get there! Hopefully they'll have an ambush set up by then, but they'll only have a minute or so!" she called back to the warriors.

They did not respond, but Leafpool knew they got the message. The trio sprinted off towards camp. Hopefully, they will have an ambush set up by then. "StarClan help us," she whispered to her ancestors. They eventually reached camp.

"The foxes are right behind us!" Cloudtail yowled at the top of his lungs as they went through the barrier. Leafpool looked around for a second. Everything was empty. Whitewing must have warned everyone about the foxes in time! Every cat is now set up for an ambush. Leafpool sprinted towards the medicine cat den to protect her patients. Squirrelflight was now up and standing in front of it, preparing to fight for her life to protect her healing mate. Halfway to the den, she heard fighting start at the entrance. Now the fight for their camp and possibly their existence starts.

That's it for chapter 5

Hope you liked it!

Congrats to the Japanese women soccer team too!

Leave some reviews please.


	6. Chapter 6

Hello again!

I would like to thank Willowfur and oXoXLeafheartXoXo for their awesome reviews.

Now I present Chapter 6 of Dreams!

Dreams

Chapter 6

Firestar lie on the ground in front of his den with one of his senior warriors, Dustpelt. The two were sharing a mouse. "What did you want to talk to me about, Firestar?" the senior warrior asked.

Firestar swallowed his food before speaking. "Dustpelt, you are my most senior warrior. I don't know how long Brambleclaw will take to recover…if at all. But for now, I am appointing you to temporary deputy. It took me a while to realize the importance of having a second in command, but once I did, I found out how important it is."

Dustpelt looked shocked at his leader. "I…thank you Firestar. I will do my best."

"Dustpelt, this is a very big responsibility. Do not forget that you represent the Clan if you run into enemy warriors. Think about what you say, Dustpelt," Firestar went on.

"I will...thank you Firestar," Dustpelt dipped his head in appreciation. "I will try my best."

"I know you will. We shall make an announcement when Cloudtail's patrol gets back." Firestar flicked his tail in a way of dismissing the tabby warrior. The tabby warrior walked away towards his mate to share the news. Ferncloud nuzzled her face against his and gave him a couple licks on his cheek. Firestar turned his gaze away from the two when the sound of paw steps running caught his attention towards the entrance.

He saw Whitewing appear. "Foxes! Three foxes are coming this way! They killed Spiderleg! Set up an ambush now!"

Firestar sprinted towards her. He got the message the first time. "Okay! Everyone Line up behind the tunnel. Half on one side of the entrance, half on the other! Brightheart! I want you to evacuate the nursery and elder's dens." Everyone did as their leader commanded and within a minute, everything was almost set up. Firestar looked to the medicine cat den to see his daughter, who has not been awake for very long, stand outside the den to fight anything that got near her mate. The elders and kits were just about up the ledge to his den.

"I will make the first strike!" Firestar told his clan. "After I strike, every cat here must charge. Spiderleg will be avenged!" All the cats yowled in agreement and got into position.

They heard more footsteps running towards the camp. "Steady!" he called. "It sounds like more cats. It could be the rest of the patrol!"

Just then, Firestar heard a cat yowl, "The foxes are right behind us!" Leafpool tore through the entrance a moment later. Firestar let out a small sigh of relief. His daughter had made it back alright! Briefly, his eyes connected with Sandstorm's. He saw the brief look of relief, but that quickly turned back into determination to stop these foxes at all cost. Thornclaw and Cloudtail quickly followed behind the medicine cat.

Firestar caught a quick smell of fox before seeing one of the biggest looking foxes he had ever seen stick it's ugly muzzle in his camp. '_Steady,_' he told himself. Two smaller foxes followed the monster. "Now!" he yowled. "Go for the legs!"

In an instant, the area exploded in fighting. Firestar went for the nearest fox's back leg, making the fox stagger to the side for a bit before being overrun by several more cats and being buried in a cat pile. Firestar saw the big fox start swiping away cats like flies. He turned back to the cat pile on top of the smallest fox. Even that fox rose up from the pile and start it's rampage again. "Firestar!" a cat called.

He turned to see Sandstorm, his mate. "Firestar! Most foxes would turn and run after being buried like that!"

"Right!" Firestar meowed. "ThunderClan, fight to kill! I am not losing anymore warriors to these monsters!" he called to his warriors. "If you have the opportunity to make a killing blow, then take it!" Some warriors yowled in agreement, but everyone knew what this meant. It is never easy to take a life.

Firestar saw the big fox start moving towards his den where the kits and elders were. "No! Protect the kits!" he called. Firestar hustled to the fox and swiped at its leg. He saw Brackenfur get batted away like a piece of prey and slam into the wall. "Brackenfur!" The fox turned and tried to swipe the orange leader, but Firestar jumped and avoided the paw. The fox used it's other paw slammed Firestar down on the ground.

Firestar did not have any time to react as the fox bent down and bit into the back of his neck. Firestar felt immense pain as the satanic orange creature picked him up and begin to swing him around like a chew toy. Firestar saw some of his warriors watch helpless as their leader felt the life drain away from him. After what felt like a thousand moons, the fox let him go and he slammed into the wall next to his den.

"Firestar!" he heard his nephew call out. "Damn that fox!" Firestar felt all his senses shut down as he started to lose his next life.

/\_/\  
>( o.o )<br>^

"ThunderClan, fight to kill!" Squirrelflight heard her father issue the order. She stood in front of the medicine cat den, her sister and Brambleclaw were inside. She was ready to fight any fox that came near her.

"Fight to kill?" she muttered to herself. She had never heard her father give that order before.

-flashback-

_Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight were lying down next to each other out in the forest. It was their first time together since Brambleclaw had been made deputy. They were both sharing a mouse Squirrelflight caught. Brambleclaw talked about his new duties mostly, while Squirrelflight listened. _

_ "Squirrelflight?" Brambleclaw asked suddenly serious. _

_ "What is it?" the ginger she-cat responded worriedly._

_ "Do you know what the order, 'fight to kill' means?"_

_ Squirrelflight looked at her mate. "Of course I do, you fur ball," she replied._

_ "Firestar has never given it yet. But you never know what might happen. Listen, Squirrelflight, there is a stick behind the warriors' den. Firestar and I spent quite a long time sharpening it," he mused. The dark tabby shook his head. "Anyway, if we are ever at camp, and Firestar or I issue that order, I want you to get that stick and use it only if Firestar and I are not available at the time. Use the stick on whatever animal, whether it be a snake or a badger. If the animal is our size or bigger, aim for the throat."_

_ "Of course, Brambleclaw." The two huddled closer together, enjoying their time together._

-End Flashback-

Squirrelflight went in the medicine cat den. "I will be right back! I need to get something!" she called to her sister. Before Leafpool could respond, Squirrelflight had taken off towards the warriors' den. Squirrelflight scampered through the battleground to find the warriors' den was mostly trampled.

"Mouse-dung!" she cursed. She started sifting through the debris in the back until she came across a stick. It was fairly thin, and about two tail-lengths long. On the end was an edge so sharp it could cut through water. Squirrelflight picked it up with mouth and ran as fast as she could to Leafpool's den.

In front of her, she saw Leafpool snarling face to face with the mother fox. "I only have one chance at this," she muttered to herself. Squirrelflight took off at full speed towards the fox. On the way, the fox raised its paw to strike Leafpool. Squirrelflight angled her head as she got closer to the female monster.

Right as the fox was about to strike down, Squirrelflight came in from it's blind side and angled the stick in it's throat. With the strength of LionClan, the ginger warrior was able to punch the stick out the other side of the fox's neck.

The fox gave a startled gurgling sound before falling down with blood pouring from two large wounds in it's neck. "You okay, Leafpool?" she asked her sister.

"Squirrelflight, Brambleclaw is gone!"

/\_/\  
>( o.o )<br>^

It was foggy where he was at, too foggy. There was so much fog, he couldn't even see his paws below him. Brambleclaw padded his way forward through the unknown. Where was he? He opened his mouth to taste the air, but he could not scent anything. The last thing he could remember was being drug through the forest with Squirrelflight. He gasped. "Squirrelflight! Are you around?" he called.

All he could hear were some whispering. "Squirrelflight?" he called again. No reply. "Firestar? Stormfur?" Any reply was better than none. Unfortunately for Brambleclaw, the only reply he got was the whispering, and it was getting louder. Brambleclaw strained his ears to listen to what they were saying, but all he could make out were inaudible words. "Where am I?" he asked himself.

"Brambleclaw!" a voice rang out among the whispering.

Brambleclaw snapped his head towards the voice. The fog disappeared with the whispering. Brambleclaw saw his former leader, Bluestar alone. "Bluestar! Where am I?" All Brambleclaw could see around him was white. "What is this place?"

"This…is where cats get judged by StarClan," Bluestar explained gently.

Brambleclaw closed his eyes for a moment before looking back up to Bluestar. "Does that mean that I died?"

Bluestar nodded her head. "Usually. However your destiny is not up yet. You will make a great ThunderClan leader, Brambleclaw."

"What?" the shocked tabby asked.

"No time to explain. You must go back now. ThunderClan needs your help!" she meowed. Her voice more urgent than it was before.

"What do you mean?" Brambleclaw asked, but the world before him disappeared before pain engulfed him.

Brambleclaw opened his eyes. He was now in the medicine cat den and can smell nothing but the sweet scent of herbs. "What's going on?" he whispered. He could make out movement in the den towards the entrance. Brambleclaw angled his head to get a better look. It was Leafpool. He could smell her fear-scent. _'What is going on?'_ he thought.

Brambleclaw could now hear the chaos going on outside the den. "Fox," he whispered to himself. He shook his head. He needed to be out there to fight!

"Squirrelflight! Where are you going?" he heard Leafpool yell.

Brambleclaw tried to get up, but remembered his broken legs and fell back down. However long he has been out, it was not enough to heal his legs. It was now that he saw the ugly scars all over his body. He spent another moment looking at them before getting his mind back to the foxes. He saw Leafpool leave the den after her sister. Brambleclaw sat back up on his front two paws. Slowly, one at a time, Brambleclaw sat up his back paws. He shifted a bit of his weight to his back paws and cringed in pain. He immediately shifted all his weight back on to his front legs again.

Then, he got an idea. Being careful to put his weight on one paw, he lifted his other front paw and put it a few mouse-lengths ahead of where it used to be. He did the same thing with his other paw. The tabby then dragged his back two legs a few mouse-lengths. "This could work." He limped his way out to the den. Sneaking by Leafpool, Brambleclaw went to the side of the den to catch the battle. He saw the biggest fox he has ever seen. It must be the leader of the pack. Brambleclaw looked around. If he could jump on it, then maybe he could give it some wounds to remember.

Brambleclaw climbed on top of the medicine cat den. He somehow scampered up the side of the den. He saw a fox and Leafpool snarling at each other. He looked further away and saw Squirrelflight run towards the fox at full speed with the killing stick in her mouth. "Firestar must have gave the order," he muttered to himself. He saw Squirrelflight force the stick in the fox's throat.

Brambleclaw looked at his mate in pride as the fox fell down with blood pouring from it's neck like a waterfall. He was proud of her. "Squirrelflight, Brambleclaw is gone!" he heard the medicine cat say. Brambleclaw's ears flattened. Squirrelflight was going to kill him if a fox did not.

"Firestar!" he heard Cloudtail's horrified voice. The deputy turned to see his leader lying motionless in front of the monster fox. Brambleclaw narrowed his eyes at the fox. If his leader gave the order to kill, then he would kill this monster, even if it cost him his own life.

"If that fox comes near here, maybe I can leap on it," he whispered to himself. He readied himself in position, ready to pounce if it came near him.

"What do you mean he's gone?" Squirrelflight asked.

"I don't know!" Leafpool responded anxiously. "He was here, then I turned my back for a couple seconds. Now he's gone!"

"That mouse-brain! Where did he go?" Squirrelflight's worried voice rang out. Brambleclaw peered out over the edge to look at his mate.

Then, he saw the fox that had took one of Firestar's lives coming towards her menacingly. "Squirrelflight, behind you!" he called to her.

Squirrelflight turned and jumped back surprised. The fox was nosing the dead fox, which Brambleclaw guessed was it's mate, before turning to Squirrelflight. The fox started running towards her and Squirrelflight was ready to fight the beast. "Brambleclaw, get out of here!"

"No!" he responded. "I can't!"

Squirrelflight opened her mouth to respond, but the fox batted her to the side. Before she could do anything, the fox had her pinned. The smile it gave her would make even TigerClan shiver in fear.

"Squirrelflight! No!" he yowled. "Damnit!" He knew the fox was too far away. He could never make it with his broken legs. _'But if I don't do anything, the fox will kill her,'_ he thought. "Damnit!" he swore again. He crouched down, positioning himself for the leap. He took a moment to judge the distance between him and the fox. "StarClan give me strength!" he wailed as he took off towards the fox.

Hooray for cliffhangers!

So what'd you think?

Leave a review if you want.

I am currently almost done writing this story

Along with this, I have started on another story called Meles Meles. I plan on having the prologue up along with the final chapter of this story.

Along with that, I'm also writing a short BramblexSquirrel one-shot also.


	7. Chapter 7

Sorry for the long wait. I have been busy, sick, then more busy!

Anyway, here is chapter 7 of Dreams

Dreams

Chapter 7

"Its now or never! StarClan give me strength!" Brambleclaw wailed before leaving the comfort of having something beneath his feet. The whole world seemed to slow down around him. His favorite memory of him and his mate surfaced in his head suddenly.

_-flashback-_

_ Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight were hunting together in the forest. They had just settled their clan in its new camp. The two had just sheltered in a small hole from the rain. They were now trying to catch any prey that was looking for water after the short showers. _

_ "Brrr," Squirrelflight shivered. "That sure was some chilly rain." _

_ "Yeah it was," Brambleclaw grunted in agreement. "Firestar told us not to come back without fresh kill, let's try to catch something." _

_ "Okay," she replied. They soon found a squirrel. "I got this," the ginger cat meowed. She went up and got into her stalking position. As soon as she was within a few tail lengths, she stepped on a loose twig, alerting the squirrel. "Mouse-dung!" she cursed as the squirrel took off._

_ Brambleclaw watched amusingly as his mate took off after the squirrel. He trotted after her in a slow pace. Suddenly, he heard her scream. "Squirrelflight!" he called and started sprinting towards the source of her scream. But when he got to her location, he could not help but start laughing. Squirrelflight fell into a puddle, a very muddy puddle. The squirrel she was chasing was now up in a tree taunting her._

_ "Shut up!" she called. "It's not funny!" her pelt was now drenched in the muddy water. She tried to get out, but she slipped and fell again._

_ "Here, let me help you," the dark tabby meowed in between laughs. Squirrelflight was always running off on things without thinking. Brambleclaw approached the puddle and bent down to get hold of her scruff._

_ Squirrelflight then locked her front paws in with his. "I think it is time for you to swim now," she said evilly before pulling her mate in. Brambleclaw had no time to react before being flipped over and landing in the puddle. _

_He got up and looked at himself. He was covered in mud now too. Now, it was Squirrelflight's turn to laugh. He saw her try to get out of puddle. "Oh no you don't," he told her before getting a hold of her back legs and pulling her back._

_Squirrelflight gave a surprised yowl before being dragged back into the mud. She got up and looked at her mate. Brambleclaw was now having a good laugh. She leapt at him, but Brambleclaw rolled sloppily aside. Claws sheathed, he landed a small blow on her head, but it was enough to knock her off balance._

_As she struggled with her footing, Brambleclaw moved to jump on her, but he lost his balance in the mud. Squirrelflight made use of this moment as she made her way on top of him and pinned him to the ground. "Oh the great Brambleclaw has been defeated! What will he do now?" she asked mockingly. _

"_I'm going to dry off," he responded warmly. Squirrelflight moved to get off him before losing her balance and falling over in the puddle once more. Brambleclaw started to laugh again, while Squirrelflight stared at him in mock hurt before joining him with laughter. The two laughed together for a while before Brambleclaw got up from his position in the mud and looked at his mate. "Come on, let's get back to camp."_

_Squirrelflight nodded as the two got out of the puddle and headed back home, their tails locked together. The muddy water caused them both to have minor colds, but both of them thought it was worth the moment they got together._

_-End Flashback-_

Brambleclaw now almost reached the fox. His thoughts were clouded with Squirrelflight. He saw the fox bend it's ugly head down to pick up Squirrelflight to try to get a killing blow. _'No!'_ he thought to himself. Just a few more mouse lengths and he'll be there. _'What if he were too late?'_ Brambleclaw briefly shook that thought aside. All that meant to him was preventing this monster from touching his mate.

Brambleclaw surprised himself when he landed on the beast's neck. He did not think he would make it. StarClan were with him then. The fox gave a surprised grunt when it felt the warrior land and immediately pulled it's head back up. It tried to jump up and down quickly to throw the deputy off, but Brambleclaw hung on. He wasted no time in puncturing it's throat with his claw. He shoved it in as deep as he could before dragging it across the monster's neck.

After this moment, Brambleclaw lost his balance and fell off the fox. Landing, hard on his side the dark tabby warrior looked up to see the fox stepping towards him. Brambleclaw could not believe it. The fox had blood pouring from a vicious wound on its neck, and it was still going! Brambleclaw tried to move, but his legs stopped working. Right when the fox was about a cat-length away from him, it fell down.

It's face was no more than a squirrel-length away from him. Brambleclaw's eyes met the demon's. He saw nothing but hatred in it's blood red eyes. He watched as the light that kept this monster going fade away. Eventually, the fox gave a jerk and died.

Brambleclaw's gaze was torn away when he heard a loud yelp at the entrance. He saw the last fox being chased away with several warriors on it's tail. The fox ran out of camp with it's tail between it's legs. Brambleclaw looked around camp. The battle was won, but now they have to clean up. Sandstorm was helping her mate up, who just lost another life. He saw Sorreltail next to Brackenfur while he was nosing their kits, thankful that StarClan had chosen not to take his life so he can spend more time with his family.

"Brambleclaw!" he turned to see Squirrelflight running towards him.

"Squirrelflight!" he called as he tried to get up to go towards her. He managed to stand up, but his legs failed him and he fell back down. "Squirrelflight," he grunted her name once more through his pain.

"Brambleclaw you mouse-brained idiot!" She meowed through the purr emerging in her throat. She licked his cheek and brushed her pelt against his.

"I'm alright," he told her quietly as he started purring as well.

"You scared me. I thought I was going to lose you," she confessed. "I don't ever want to lose you! I love you."

"Squirrelflight, I love you too. I'm not going anywhere. Not for a long time," he meowed soothingly. He licked her cheek and rested his head on her back as she lie down next to him. "I'm not leaving you for a long time." Squirrelflight nodded and continued purring. Brambleclaw nuzzled into her back more.

"Looks like you're up," a familiar voice rang out.

"Firestar!" Squirrelflight called to her father. Brambleclaw turned to see his leader being supported by Sandstorm.

"I saw you lost a life," the deputy meowed. "Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine, I'm just…exhausted," the orange leader replied. "Will you be okay?"

The dark tabby grunted. "Yeah, I think my legs are broken, but with Leafpool's supervision, I'll be back up in no time."

"Is everybody else alright?" the leader called out to everyone in the clearing.

Brambleclaw looked around to all the cats. "Wait, I don't see Spiderleg or Rainwhisker! Where are they?"

Dustpelt came up and answered them. "Spiderleg was killed," he swallowed. Brambleclaw remembered that Spiderleg was his son. The tabby had a couple scratches on his back. "The big one got him and the rest of the patrol thinks it also got Rainwhisker."

Brambleclaw bowed his head. That thing not only took one of Firestar's lives, but it also killed two young warriors. "I'm sorry, Dustpelt."

Dustpelt's ear twitched. "I'll be fine," the senior warrior answered before going to the leader's den to check on his mate, Ferncloud.

"Brambleclaw!" Leafpool's voice rang out in the clearing. "You, my den, now!"

Brambleclaw flinched at Leafpool's tone. He was in for a lecture from the medicine cat. He looked at Squirrelflight, who nodded at him. She got stood up and helped him to the den.

"Brambleclaw!" a voice called to him once he was at the den. Brambleclaw saw Brackenfur in the den with Leafpool nosing over his leg. "Great to see you up!"

Before Brambleclaw could reply, Leafpool cut in. "If you ever do anything that mouse-brained again I swear by StarClan I will break the rest of your legs so won't be able to move!"

"Sorry, Leafpool," the deputy meowed. "How is everything, Brackenfur?"

"I only fractured my leg. Great job on that fox," the warrior commented.

"Thanks. It looks like that we will be den mates for a while."

"Squirrelflight, put him over there," the medicine cat cut in the conversation again. "I'll look after you next."

"Okay. Come on," the ginger warrior meowed gently to her mate. Brambleclaw nodded and made his way slowly to the nest.

He waited as Leafpool checked him over. "You don't have anymore broken bones, but you do have some scratches and a couple bumps from the fall. You'll live."

"How long will I stay here, Leafpool?" he asked the respected medicine cat.

"Hmm…a moon maybe, give or take several days," she replied.

"Would I be good enough to go to the next gathering?" he asked hopefully.

"Probably not," she answered.

"Let all those old enough to catch their prey attend this clan meeting," Brambleclaw heard Firestar's voice from the medicine den.

"Let's go," Squirrelflight meowed to Brambleclaw. Brambleclaw crawled out to the entrance of the den, just behind Leafpool, Brackenfur, and Squirrelflight.

"We all know of the foxes," Firestar began. "Cloudtail's patrol came across them. The foxes killed Spiderleg and Rainwhisker as they tried to hold them off so the patrol could get back to warn the camp." It was then that Brambleclaw noticed the two fallen warriors in the clearing. "StarClan will honor their sacrifices." The clan started to chant their names. "After the foxes invaded camp, I gave the order to kill." He paused for a moment. "It is…not an order I ever want to give again. Squirrelflight heard the order and when she was given the opportunity, she killed one of the foxes." He then paused again as the clan started to chant her name. Brambleclaw saw his mate bow her head in embarrassment.

"After that," he continued. "The big fox took one of my lives. Brambleclaw, with the strength of StarClan, managed to get on top of the monster fox and delivered a killing blow to it's throat." Now, it was Brambleclaw's turn to be embarrassed as the clan started chanting his name. "Brambleclaw, however is unable to do some of his duties right now. I am having Dustpelt temporarily fill in while he is recovering from injuries. Is this alright, Brambleclaw?"

"It is," the deputy agreed.

"Then I declare Dustpelt deputy temporarily," Firestar declared.

Dustpelt dipped his head as the clan started chanting his name. "I swear by StarClan that I will do my best to protect the clan."

"Dustpelt, will you also mentor Berrykit for me in my absence?" Brambleclaw asked.

"I will," the warrior meowed.

"Thank you," Brambleclaw responded.

"This meeting is over. We will now sit in vigil for Spiderleg and Rainwhisker," Firestar called out to the clan.

The clan sat in silence for the two fallen warriors until dawn came and the elders carried them away.

So that is Chapter 7

Not my best chapter, but what'd you think?


	8. Chapter 8

Hey everyone!

Meant to put this up yesterday but I didn't get around to it, so sorry for that!

First off I'd like to thank Willowfur and Coqui's Song for your reviews.

Coqui's Song: I don't know if you will read this, but I really appreciate your constructive criticism and your advise. I totally agree with you. And yes, spelling and grammar are my biggest annoyance also, it drives me crazy when words aren't spelled right. So thank you on that! I hope you do continue on reading this story. =]

And now, here is Chapter 8!

Dreams

Chapter 8

More than a moon later

A cat sprinted through the forest with another cat right behind it. Night had already swallowed up the sun. The only source of light now was the full moon. Scars showed in the second cat when he sprinted through narrow rays of light the trees do not catch. The cat in front turned around and tripped the cat behind it before turning away and sprinting toward it's destination. Muttering to itself, the second cat got up and continued chasing the first before the gap between them got too wide.

"Mouse-dung!" the cat swore, now he knew he could not catch the cat. The cat continued sprinted in silence until he came across a camp with many other cats in it. The scarred cat stopped to take a quick breather as he got to the camp. It has been a while since he ran like that. Many other cats looked at him in amusement until an orange cat stepped forward.

"I think Berrypaw won, Brambleclaw," he meowed.

"I see that," the tabby responded as he saw his apprentice step forward.

"Does that mean I can go to the gathering tonight?" Berrypaw asked.

"Yes it does," Brambleclaw replied. "You thought quickly when you tripped me. You won the race, congrats." He nudged his apprentice.

"Thanks, Brambleclaw," the apprentice meowed.

"Let's get everyone together for the gathering," Brambleclaw ordered to his apprentice. Berrypaw nodded and took off towards the apprentice den to get his sisters for their first gathering.

Brambleclaw helped gather everyone up. The cats that were selected to go were Brackenfur, Squirrelflight, Sandstorm, Dustpelt, Cloudtail, Whitewing, Thornclaw, Berrypaw, Mousepaw, and Hazelpaw.

The cats soon set off. Brambleclaw walked between his leader and his mate. This was Brambleclaw's first gathering as a deputy.

"This is your first gathering as deputy, Brambleclaw. Excited?" a voice behind him asked.

Brambleclaw didn't even need to turn around to know who that was. "Yes I am, Brackenfur. Can't wait."

Leafpool had just cleared the deputy for duty several sunrises ago. Brackenfur was only in the den for a couple weeks, but the two had started to get closer. Some of Brambleclaw's scars might fade away, but he will have most of the scars for the rest of his life. He still had some nightmares about his father, but he had Squirrelflight, Firestar, and even Leafpool to confide in. They helped out with his rehabilitation process and he owes them more than he could ever repay.

After the last fox fled camp, the patrol had chased it out of their territory and onto ShadowClan's. That night, some of the clan sat in vigil for their fallen clan mates, others started rebuilding camp and returned in the last hours of the night to sit in vigil. The way the camp looks now, one could not tell it had been attacked just a moon and a half ago.

A few days after the attack, Berrypaw was officially made an apprentice, touching both Brambleclaw's nose and his temporary mentor, Dustpelt's. Brambleclaw did what he could while he was recovering, but it was nothing much. All he could do was tell his apprentice about a few battle and hunting techniques. Dustpelt showed the young apprentice the territory, the borders, the lake, and more. Brambleclaw thought Dustpelt did a good job mentoring the cat through his first moon of apprenticeship.

Hawkfrost's body had been found by ShadowClan warriors near the two-leg camp ground. Littlecloud, the ShadowClan medicine cat, determined the cat was killed by deep gash in the throat although he had a few small scratches on him as well. Seeing that all cats stayed clear from the campground in the warm season, all clans determined it was a two-leg that killed the RiverClan warrior.

According to Stormfur, who was at the last gathering, fear of the two-legs among the clans was again at an all time high. Brambleclaw noticed the cats that did not know the real story stiffen up whenever two-legs were mentioned. He could see why too. The two-legs drove them away from their old homes and now they thought the strange creatures killed a cat.

The clan walked in silence until they got to the log that leads to the island. Brackenfur went first and Brambleclaw followed as the golden brown tom in front of him jumped off the log. The recently scarred tabby found his sister among the ShadowClan cats that were there.

"Tawnypelt!" he called her name.

His sister turned around at the sound of his voice but visibly flinched when she saw him. Brambleclaw looked down at the ground for a moment, his new scarred body would take others some time to get used to. Heck, he is still trying to get used to it. She came trotting towards him. "Brambleclaw!" she tried to begin. "Uh, Stormfur told me it was bad but…"

"Don't worry about it. What's done is done, nothing will undue that. Leafpool thinks the scars will fade away slightly over time," the deputy explained.

"But they'll still be there," his sister meowed worriedly as she ran her tail across the long one on his chest. "A fox did all that?"

Brambleclaw hesitated a moment. Should he lie to his sister? "That's what they told you?" he whispered. She nodded. "Don't flip out. It was actually Tigerstar."

"Tigerstar?" she whispered in surprise.

"Yes, he and Hawkfrost held Squirrelflight hostage and told me to take over the clans. Bluestar showed up just in time to save us."

"I always knew those cats were evil," she muttered to herself. "But how did you kill a fox with your wounds?"

"StarClan gave me strength," he explained proudly. "The evil thing was about to kill Squirrelflight. Then, I jumped on it's back gave it a killing blow to the neck."

"Oh yeah that's right!" Tawnypelt exclaimed. She gave him a friendly lick on his ear. "Congratulations on deputy!"

"Thanks," he meowed embarrassed now.

"Hey Brambleclaw, congrats on becoming deputy and killing that fox. I heard you did amazing in that battle!" Brambleclaw turned to see Mistyfoot praising him.

"Thank you, Mistyfoot. I'm sorry about what happened to Hawkfrost," he told the RiverClan deputy. Although she does not know he killed the RiverClan warrior, he still regrets it.

"Yeah, it is a terrible thing to happen to any cat. I don't think a two-leg has ever killed a cat before," the deputy responded before walking away to talk to another cat.

"So tell me, Brambleclaw. Is it true you killed a fox that killed two other cats all on your own?" a newcomer joined Brambleclaw. Brambleclaw was surprised to see the ShadowClan leader.

"Well, Squirrelflight got its attention, but I jumped on it and was able to kill it," the deputy responded, now wanting the gathering to start so he will not have to repeat his story over and over again.

"Hmm…very impressive. Congratulations on becoming deputy," Blackstar meowed before walking away to the tree where leaders gather. Shortly after, the gathering started. Brambleclaw made his way to the deputy circle right in front of the tree. Cats that were just now noticing him gasped at the scars he had on his body. He could not blame them, he looked like he's been through hell.

"WindClan will start!" Onestar's voice rang out across the island. "All is well in WindClan. I am happy to report we have two new kits. That is all." The leader stepped down from the branch and motioned for the next leader to go.

"ShadowClan will go next," Blackstar called. He jumped on the branch before continuing. "All prey is going well in ShadowClan. We do have an eye out on the two-leg camp. I myself am currently investigating the campground from my territory and am watching for any suspicious two-leg behavior. We will let all cats know if anything comes up. That is all." The ShadowClan leader jumped down from the branch.

"ThunderClan will go next," Firestar meowed. He jumped on the lead branch. "I am also conducting an investigation about the two-leg camp ground. I will let all cats know if anything develops also." He turned to Blackstar. "You will be the first to know, Blackstar, as it affects all your clan."

"Same goes for me, Firestar," he replied.

"I thank you for your cooperation," Firestar dipped his head. "Moving on, ThunderClan's newest deputy is well enough to come to the gathering today. Everyone knows how Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight had a tussle with some foxes one night. A couple of days later, the foxes attacked our camp. Spiderleg and Rainwhisker were killed trying to hold the foxes off so the patrol could get the message back to the clan in time. Squirrelflight killed one fox while Brambleclaw, with his wounds from their previous encounter, managed to kill the other fox."

He paused as the island erupted in cheering from the cats. Brambleclaw dipped his head to the crowd. "Is that how he got those scars?" one cat called from the back.

"It is," Brambleclaw replied. Cats from other clans looked at him in awe. Just like that, Brambleclaw had now become a legend among clans. He should tell the story to a couple cats in other clans. Maybe at the next gathering.

"Apart from that, everything runs well in ThunderClan," Firestar concluded before jumping down from the branch.

"I guess it's Riverclan's turn," Leopardstar muttered as she got up on the branch. "Prey runs well in RiverClan." She waved her tail. "This gathering is over."

"You'll have to tell me the story, at the next gathering," Ashfoot, the WindClan deputy told Brambleclaw.

"Me too, it sounds like a good story," Russetfur, the ShadowClan deputy added. Mistyfoot said nothing, but she was also interested.

"Don't worry, I will. In fact, I'll find you three first," Brambleclaw meowed.

"Looking forward to it," the ShadowClan deputy meowed before setting off with her clan mates.

"May StarClan light your path, Brambleclaw," Mistyfoot meowed before taking off with Ashfoot.

"Yours too," he called.

"Ready to go?" Firestar asked.

"Yes I am," the deputy replied. "That was fairly eventful."

"Yes indeed," Firestar laughed. "Now there will be stories about you, the warrior who killed the biggest fox any cat has ever seen."

Brambleclaw flattened his ears in embarrassment. Firestar flicked his tail, ordering his clan to leave the island and go back to their home.

"Hey, mighty warrior," Squirrelflight called to him mockingly once they were out in the moorlands and away from the island. "How was your first gathering as deputy?"

"It was alright," he replied. Her tail was now interlocked with his.

Brambleclaw thought about his life. How, just two moons ago, he feared his father. He feared going to sleep. His life had been a mess then, his sanity seemed to be slipping more and more every day. He looked at Squirrelflight. He definitely would not be where he is at right now if it was not for her, or the guidance of his leader and mentor. His life seemed to be flourishing now. He was deputy of ThunderClan. He loved Squirrelflight more than anything else and she loved him. Brooke and Stormfur were some of his best friends with Brackenfur and Sorreltail now joining that circle. His apprentice, Berrypaw, had the makings of a great warrior. His clan, ThunderClan, is now becoming greater than it ever has before.

Brambleclaw snapped out of his thoughts and found himself in ThunderClan camp. Exhaustion flooded over his body. His back legs were starting to hurt. Leafpool told him to rest if they started to hurt. Brambleclaw looked at Squirrelflight and she looked back at him. Brambleclaw could tell she got the message. The two walked over to the warriors' den.

They found themselves comfortable nests before settling down and closing their eyes. Brambleclaw thought about how lucky he was to be living now. How the curse that was his father was no longer hanging over his head. Brambleclaw's thoughts faded as he slipped into the dream world, something he feared of doing just two moons ago.

Everything seemed perfect.

Or was it?

Brambleclaw opened his eyes to find himself in the familiar dark forest. "Oh StarClan no!" he whispered.

"Oh StarClan yes," a voice from behind him rang in his ears, the same familiar voice that still haunts his nightmares. Brambleclaw only wished he was in a nightmare now. This dream seemed too real. He knew this was no dream. He turned around to see the epicenter of the voice.

It was Tigerstar.

Thank you for reading!

So I debated about ending the story here, but I decided one last trip to the dark forest won't hurt anyone…or will it?


	9. Chapter 9

So sorry about the delay. Been busy, really busy.

I want to thank HopeQueen and Willowfur for their reviews, thank you!

Now, I present to you the final chapter in Dreams

Chapter 9

"Tigerstar," Brambleclaw muttered. "I thought Bluestar told me you would leave me alone."

"StarClan have no say here!" Tigerstar roared.

Brambleclaw looked around to look for his brother, but he could not find him. "I don't see anyone else here, Tigerstar. Are you that confident you can beat me on your own?"

Tigerstar looked at the young deputy. "I know I can beat you on my own, however…" He pulled his head back and yowled as loud as he could. "I need these cats just in case we have any more unwanted guests."

Brambleclaw looked around. More cats came out to the clearing from the trees. He saw Hawkfrost, Darkstripe, and many more cats he did not recognize. Brambleclaw backed up and flattened his ears. "I didn't know there were so many down here." He continued backing up until he bumped into a cat behind him.

"Watch where you're going mouse-brain," the cat sneered.

Brambleclaw looked behind him. "I know you…you're Brokentail!"

"My name is Brokenstar!" The cat swiped at him, but Brambleclaw ducked and slashed at his throat. Brambleclaw made contact with the tom's throat. Brokentail fell down with blood pouring from his neck. "No," the forsaken leader muttered.

Brambleclaw watched in horror as the cat's body faded away. "What the…where did he go?"

"Even I'm not sure," Tigerstar answered. "However, I am proud of you, my son. You killed him."

"With you cats, I am not taking any chances. If killing you means my survival, then I'll gladly do it," Brambleclaw explained with narrowed eyes, his voice now becoming drenched in ice. "I will kill you."

Tigerstar held his head down and muttered something. Brambleclaw took a step forward before realizing the dark leader was just laughing. At first it was a couple of stifled, hushed laughing, then it became full blown laughing. The other cats in the clearing started laughing with their leader.

"Now then," Tigerstar meowed casually after he stopped laughing. He started walking towards Brambleclaw. "Let's begin."

/\_/\  
>( o.o )<br>^

Leafpool woke up from her dream. Something was not right. Still drowsy from sleep, she walked out of her den. She saw Stormfur guarding camp and walked up to him.

"Leafpool? You alright?" the warrior asked.

She shook her head. "I have a bad feeling…something big is going down. I just don't know what."

"Well, all has been quiet here. But I'll keep a look out for anything," Stormfur told her, trying to keep her calm. He decided to change the subject. "I feel so strong right now, I could take on Tigerstar's ghost!"

"Tigerstar…" Leafpool mumbled to herself. Then it hit her. Her eyes widened when she realized what was wrong. "Brambleclaw!" She took off towards the warrior's den with Stormfur on her tail.

"Leafpool, what's wrong?" he called.

Leafpool did not try to answer. She reached the warriors den and saw Brambleclaw sleeping next to her sister. Brambleclaw seemed to be having a nightmare, he was thrashing around and grunting. "Poor Brambleclaw, he seems to be having a bad dream," Stormfur muttered. "Should I wake him?"

Leafpool stared in shock. She thought it was done. She thought Tigerstar would leave them alone now! "I…I don't think you could wake him if you tried," she responded. The two jumped back in shock when they saw blood spurt out from the deputy's shoulder, as if he were cut by an invisible enemy.

"What in StarClan's name is going on?" Stormfur asked Leafpool.

"Go get Firestar now!" she ordered. Stormfur nodded and sprinted off towards Firestar's den.

"Leafpool, what is going on?" she heard Brackenfur's voice ask. He sprang up. "I smell blood! Are we under attack?"

His outburst woke everyone up. "What in the name of StarClan is going on?" Dustpelt asked as all cats saw another wound appear on Brambleclaw.

"Brambleclaw!" Squirrelflight whispered. "No!" The ginger cat got down next to her mate and immediately went to sleep.

"Brambleclaw!" a new voice called from the entrance. Leafpool saw her father run to the deputy and start nosing him over. "Tigerstar…"

"Tigerstar?" Cloudtail asked.

"He's dead," another called out.

"Tigerstar has been haunting Brambleclaw's dreams for a while now," the orange leader started to explain. "He was the one that gave Brambleclaw those scars. It looks like Squirrelflight has already gone to fight. I will follow her. Leafpool, get the apprentices up. Make sure they watch over camp and help you tend to any wounds. I'm not sure what I will find there, or how many cats there are. I am not ordering you to follow me, but if you wish to fight, then lay down next to Brambleclaw and sleep."

"I'm not letting you go alone!" Brackenfur called. "He's my friend too. He's our deputy! I would die for him!"

"Same here," Stormfur stepped forward with Brooke at his side. All cats looked like they would follow.

"Right then," Firestar muttered. "ThunderClan, attack these enemies, go for the kill. Attack to kill." Leafpool watched all cats gather around Brambleclaw and lay down. She turned to get the apprentices up and get all herbs she could.

/\_/\  
>( o.o )<br>^

Brambleclaw swore. His father was an infamous legend. His father taught him his best fighting moves. Brambleclaw was getting beat. "I would have expected more from my son," Tigerstar mocked. "I can't believe a weakling like you became deputy."

Brambleclaw got back up. "I have no father." He started to think of a strategy. Tigerstar usually attacks with his right paw. Maybe he could make a counter attack.

"Give it up, Brambleclaw. You have no chance. I know all your fighting moves. I even taught you your favorites."

"Then it looks like I'll have to improvise!" Brambleclaw yowled before charging at his father.

Tigerstar took the challenge and began charging too. The two met in mid air. Brambleclaw saw Tigerstar's right paw begin to move. Brambleclaw countered it by striking the paw with his left paw. This left Tigerstar momentarily stunned. Brambleclaw took advantage of the moment and brought his right paw down on the dark leader's face.

Both landed on the ground with a thud. Tigerstar, still a bit winded, took a moment too long to get up. Brambleclaw was immediately on top of him. He was about to deliver a killing blow to the neck when a cat knocked him off. Brambleclaw turned to see Hawkfrost standing over him. Brambleclaw got up and jumped at his half brother.

The next thing Brambleclaw knew, he was knocked on the ground. Tigerstar had knocked him over. Brambleclaw cursed himself for forgetting about his father for a second.

"I can take care of myself, Hawkfrost," Tigerstar snarled at his son.

"Tigerstar, stop toying around and finish him. StarClan will be here soon," Hawkfrost told the dark leader, ignoring his father's previous statement.

Just then, a commotion happened somewhere in the crowd behind Brambleclaw. He turned behind him to see what was going on. He saw the familiar ginger fur of Squirrelflight pinned beneath two toms that Brambleclaw did not recognize. "Squirrelflight!" he called and started to sprint over.

Tigerstar pounced on the deputy and held him down. "Excellent timing, Squirrelflight," he stated. "Now we can have Brambleclaw here watch as Hawkfrost cuts your throat open."

"No!" Brambleclaw yelled. "Leave her out of this! This is between you and me you coward!"

"It was until she showed up before I got to kill you," Tigerstar retorted coldly. "Hawkfrost, spill her guts out please." Hawkfrost nodded and padded up to Squirrelflight, who was still trying to get out of the other cats' grasp unsuccessfully.

"No!" Brambleclaw screamed again as he tried to shake Tigerstar off him.

Squirrelflight finally shook herself out of the one of the tom's grasp, but two more just jumped on her. After a little bit more struggling, she gave up. The cats pinned her on the ground as Hawkfrost got to her.

"Brambleclaw, I'm sorry," Squirrelflight meowed. Hawkfrost put his claw on her neck. "I love you."

Brambleclaw could only watch in horror as Hawkfrost began to poke his claw in her throat. Suddenly, a yowl interrupted him. Hawkfrost put his paw down and began to look for the source.

"You don't ever change do you, Tigerstar?" A newcomer called.

Brambleclaw looked to see the cat, but he could not. It sounded like it was coming from behind Hawkfrost and Squirrelflight. Brambleclaw knew that voice however.

"Firestar," Tigerstar called. "What brings you here to my forest?"

"I have to fetch my deputy and daughter. Do you think I could have them without a fight?" the leader asked.

"Not a chance, kittypet," Tigerstar smirked.

"Very well then," Firestar replied. "ThunderClan, attack!"

_ThunderClan?_ Brambleclaw thought. _That means he brought the whole clan!_ Brambleclaw watched as the clearing erupted in chaos. He saw Sandstorm leap onto the cats that were holding Squirrelflight down. Tigerstar must have been trying to strategize a way of winning the battle because his attention on the battle, not the cat he had pinned down. Brambleclaw took this moment to twist his chest around and land a blow on Tigerstar's leg. Tigerstar jumped back with a surprised yowl, leaving Brambleclaw free.

Brambleclaw jumped up and charged at Tigerstar, but the leader decided to turn and run away. Brambleclaw thought about chasing the dark tabby, but decided it was not worth it. Besides, running away is too low, even for Tigerstar. Brambleclaw was sure he would find his father later. The deputy scanned around the clearing for any cats that might need help. He saw Brooke being double teamed by a black tom and another familiar cat.

"Darkstripe," he muttered bitterly. Leave it to the traitor to form a double team on the least experienced cat there. "Time to take him out."

Brambleclaw sprinted towards the duo to help his clan mate out. Trying to get his timing right, he flew at the black cat with his front left paw lifted. He nailed his target with precision. He turned around and watched the surprised cat watch blood pour from the wound on his neck and fall down. This move was taught to him by Tigerstar. Brambleclaw doubted any other cat knew that move, or even execute it as good as he did. Darkstripe watched in horror as his partner in crime faded away. Brambleclaw turned to Darkstripe.

"Long time no see, Darkstripe," Brambleclaw meowed. He narrowed his amber eyes. "Traitor." He leapt at the former ThunderClan cat before he could reply. Darkstripe yowled as Brambleclaw forced him on his back. The deputy fastened a grip into his neck. Darkstripe gave another yowl but was cut short as Brambleclaw ripped away the flesh on his neck with his teeth. He spat out a chunk of flesh as he watched the dark warrior fade away.

"Thanks Brambleclaw," Brooke called to him.

"It was nothing," Brambleclaw claimed. He scanned around the clearing for any other clan mates in need of help. He saw a couple ThunderClan cats fading away also. He wondered if they had died also, but more likely they had enough wounds that they could no longer fight and were waking up. He took another scan of the clearing. They were losing the battle. They were outnumbered and more dark forest cats were coming. They were going to lose the battle. Where is StarClan?

Just then, he heard another battle cry. He turned and saw many cats charging down a hill and towards the clearing. He took a closer look and saw Blackstar, Onestar, and Leopardstar. Right beside them were Tallstar, Bluestar, and even more StarClan cats. Brambleclaw was surprised. All four clans would be fighting together again, only this time, they will fight alongside their ancestors.

He watched wave after wave of cats come in and join the battle. Cats poured in from both sides as the battlefield started getting bigger. Brambleclaw looked around and saw some cats on the ground fading away and others running away. Cats were wrestling each other everywhere. The battle was now even. Brambleclaw ducked under a swipe from a white she-cat. He quickly finished her with a sharp swipe to the neck.

Brambleclaw went to the next cat. He sliced at the back of a dark warrior's leg. The gray cat's back leg collapsed and the cat ended up on his stomach. He looked up in terror to see Brambleclaw looking down at him. "Get out of here. If I see you here again, I will kill you," the deputy threatened.

"Thank you," the pitiful cat whispered and hobbled out of the battle.

"No!" Brambleclaw heard a voice call from somewhere in the battlefield. He thought it sounded like Sandstorm, but the chaos in the clearing distorts everything. He looked around and finally saw the she-cat flash through the battlefield towards a pile of dark warriors. Brambleclaw quickly thought of the possible explanations. Only three cats would make Sandstorm run with worry like that: Firestar, Leafpool, and Squirrelflight. Leafpool was not at the battle, so that left the other two. Brambleclaw immediately took off towards the pile.

"No," he muttered. He saw Hawkfrost standing tall over the group of dark warriors. Sandstorm launched herself in the middle of the cats, thrashing wildly like a mad dog. She ended up landing many blows on the startled cats before Hawkfrost pinned her down. Brambleclaw barreled into his brother, knocking him off Sandstorm.

"Brambleclaw, it's Squirrelflight," Sandstorm called to him.

Immediately, Brambleclaw saw a scrap of fur on it's side, struggling to get up. Brambleclaw sprinted over to his mate. "Squirrelflight, please be alright," he told her.

"Brambleclaw…." She tried to speak. The tabby saw she had multiple wounds on her including a deep one on her belly.

"No, don't talk," he meowed, his voice cracking. He bent down next to her to give her a few licks on her ear.

"I'm sorry, Brambleclaw," she muttered. Her eyes closed as she started to fade out of the dark forest.

"No no no. Don't go. This is all my fault," he cried. His face was close to where Squirrelflight's was. He jerked his head up to the sky. "This is all my fault!"

He crouched down to the ground, tears rolling down his face. "No, Squirrelflight, you didn't have to come. This is all my fault. This whole thing is my fault. Every cat died here because of me! It's my fault!" He yowled.

"Whoops, did I do that?" Hawkfrost's voice rang in his ears. Brambleclaw looked up to see his brother surrounded by two dark cats on one side and two more holding down Sandstorm behind him. "She was really feisty. You did well for yourself, Brambleclaw. Did you know she was pregnant with your kits? Judging by the shock on your face you didn't. She kept on going about how she was going to protect from me, even if costs her the life she was given. Really annoying things like that."

Brambleclaw stood there processing all the information he had just received. "My kits? Our kits?" he asked himself. Hawkfrost nodded as he started to flick off the blood on his paws, getting some on Brambleclaw's face. "Kits…" he repeated again.

Hawkfrost had killed his mate, who was expecting their kits. He had killed his family. The family Brambleclaw had always wanted. Hawkfrost took that away. One thought went through his mind.

"Hawkfrost must die."

"Pardon?" the said cat asked. He had no time to respond. Brambleclaw rammed into his brother and pinned him to the ground. Brambleclaw fastened his teeth into the warrior's neck and began to bite down into the flesh until his teeth met. Hawkfrost's scream of agony turned into a choking sound as blood exploded from the neck wound on his face.

Brambleclaw spat out the bloody chunk of Hawkfrost's neck on the dead warrior's face. His face, now drenched in the blood from his brother, turned to remaining cats. Brambleclaw gave the cats a sick smile before charging at them. He sliced one cat's throat and pinned another down with his other paw. He raked his claws from the cat's neck to his chin. More blood got on Brambleclaw's face. He turned to the other two cats, but they had the intelligence to run away from the battle.

"Sandstorm, are you alright?" he asked the senior warrior, his insanity replaced by worry for her.

"I'm fine, Brambleclaw. We need to find Tigerstar and end this," she told him.

"I will look for him," Brambleclaw nodded. He scanned the clearing, but could not find the dark leader. Eventually, he found him battling Bluestar. "I will get him. Go find some cat that needs help." Sandstorm dipped her head and took off.

Brambleclaw took off towards his father. He made it to his father without any interference. Tigerstar had thrown a bloody, beaten Bluestar down on the ground. Almost immediately, Blackstar charged, but was thrown off and landed at Brambleclaw's feet. "I expect more from my former deputy, Blackstar."

Blackstar got up and got ready to charge again. Brambleclaw put his tail in front of the ShadowClan warrior. "I will take care of him, Blackstar."

Blackstar looked like he was going to retort, but he then saw Brambleclaw's face and the determination in his eyes. "Very well, Brambleclaw." He dipped his head ran off into the battle.

"So I see you came back for more, Brambleclaw," Tigerstar meowed smugly. Brambleclaw closed his eyes for a moment to think. "I hear you lost your kittypet mate. So sad."

"If it weren't for you, me nor Hawkfrost wouldn't have been born. Squirrelflight came here because of me. Hawkfrost killed Squirrelflight, you were his leader. So, you are a big reason why she died." Brambleclaw meowed his thoughts out loud. He opened his eyes at his father.

"I will kill you, Tigerstar."

Brambleclaw's vision became red with rage. He charged at Tigerstar and leapt at him. Tigerstar was ready for him and caught him in mid air. Tigerstar pinned him to the ground. Brambleclaw struggled as Tigerstar had his front paws wrapped around him and scratched him in the face with his back claws. Brambleclaw dug his claws into Tigerstar's front legs that were pinning him. Tigerstar let go as Brambleclaw backed up a bit before charging at his father again.

Tigerstar landed a blow on Brambleclaw's head right before he reached the dark leader. Brambleclaw staggered sideways a moment. Tigerstar only needed a moment as he moved in and sank his teeth in Brambleclaw's shoulder. Brambleclaw tried all he could, but he could not get his father to let go. Brambleclaw calmed down and tried to think through the pain for a moment. Brambleclaw thrust his back leg up and put a deep gash in his father's belly.

Tigerstar backed up a bit and left himself completely open. Brambleclaw rushed forward and his claw made contact with Tigerstar's chin. He pushed his paw up as hard as he could and heard his claw make contact with flesh. Tigerstar looked stunned and started making a choking sound. Brambleclaw was not sure what happened until his father opened his mouth. Brambleclaw saw that his claw not only penetrated Tigerstar's mouth, but the leader's tongue as well. Brambleclaw could clearly see his bloody claw through his father's tongue.

"Doesn't feel so good to be on the other side of this does it?" he mocked. Tigerstar could only look at his son in shock and horror. Brambleclaw brought his other set of font claws up and slice open the dark leader's neck. "What's wrong? You don't like it? I hope I never see you again. You are not my father. You are some low-life, fox-hearted bastard!" With that, he tugged his claw out of Tigerstar's chin backwards. He used so much force that his claws cut through Tigerstar's jaw bone.

Brambleclaw watched as the cat that used to terrorize him fall down, his mouth ripped straight open. "That was for all cats that died because of your evil deeds," Brambleclaw calmly meowed. His father began to fade away, blood pouring out from his mouth faster than a stream after it rains.

Brambleclaw saw a cat run through the clearing passing the news that Tigerstar had been defeated. Within minutes, the battle had come to a stop and the only cats left were ones that were fighting beside Brambleclaw.

"Thank you, Brambleclaw," he heard the voice of his leader.

"I wasn't fast enough," Brambleclaw meowed to his leader, his voice uncontrollably cracking again. "Because of me, many cats died, including Squirrelflight." He turned to his leader to see he had not yet reached news of his daughter. "I'm sorry, Firestar." He lowered his head back down to the ground.

Suddenly, a tail started stroking his back. "Just because living cats fade away from here does not mean they have died, Brambleclaw." Brambleclaw looked to see Bluestar looking at him.

"So she is alive still?" Brambleclaw asked, his hope suddenly going up.

"I do not know," Bluestar answered. "But never doubt the strength of your mate. She is very stubborn."

"I see, thank you Bluestar," the deputy meowed before turning to his leader. He was just about to speak when he noticed the cat next to him. "Graystripe?" There was another cat next to him as well.

"Good to see you too, Brambleclaw," the gray warrior meowed in amusement.

"I don't see any glowing stars around you. Does that mean you are still alive?" he asked.

"Yes it does. Lionheart found me and brought me here. He said he would guide me and Millie here home. Hopefully I will see you sometime in the next moon."

Firestar turned to his old friend. "I'm sorry but you will have to step down from your deputyship, Graystripe."

"So be it. Brambleclaw has shown to me that he has proven his worth for being deputy. I just want to be with the clan," Graystripe dipped his head. "It is time for us to go. See you soon, Firestar."

"It is time for us to go as well. Thank you for your help," Firestar dipped his head to his friend.

Brambleclaw felt himself fading away from the forest.

/\_/\  
>=( o.o )=<br>^

Brambleclaw woke up in the warriors den. The scent of blood surged into his nostrils and the sound of cats running around and one yelling out orders at the others rang in his ears. Brambleclaw tried to ease his way back to reality but he heard his apprentice scream in his ear.

"Brambleclaw is awake! Leafpool he's awake!" Berrypaw yowled.

"Berrypaw give me those herbs there!" Leafpool called. Berrypaw nodded and ran off.

Brambleclaw saw all apprentices running around trying to apply simple first aid to the wounded. He saw other cats start to wake up as well.

"Did we win?" Mousepaw asked.

"Yes we did. Tigerstar is no longer a threat," Brambleclaw responded. This response seemed to raise the apprentice's hopes. He suddenly sat up. "Where's Squirrelflight?"

"We took the ones that needed help most to Leafpool's den. Brightheart is looking after them," Berrypaw responded from across the den. He was applying some marigold leaves to Dustpelt. Brambleclaw got up and immediately took off towards the den.

"Wait Brambleclaw, we still have to treat you!" he heard Leafpool's voice. He decided to ignore her. He needed to know that Squirrelflight is okay. He arrived at the den to find Brightheart looking over several cats.

"Hello, Brambleclaw. Squirrelflight will be alright. She is right there," Brightheart told the deputy. He looked in the direction where she flicked her tail. Sure enough, there was Squirrelflight.

"Brambleclaw, is that you?" he heard his mate.

"Yes, yes it is," he replied, almost too choked up to talk. He bent down and gave her nose a few licks. "I thought I lost you."

"You could never lose me you mouse-brain," she meowed softly. "There is one thing I want to tell you though. Brambleclaw…I found out today, while you and Berrypaw were out, that I'm going to have kits. Our kits."

Although he already knew this, he pretended that this was the first time he heard the news. He bent down to give her a few more licks. "That is wonderful news," he said in between licks.

"It's all over," Firestar's voice came from the den entrance. "Tigerstar's evil is now gone. Thank you, Brambleclaw. You saved the forest. Now we can live in peace."

"We can raise our family in peace."

Well, what'd you think? I finally got this done after listening to six hours of nonstop Metallica =]

I personally wanted to thank All those who favorite: AnimeWolfAlienRaptor4, EternalStrom, oXoXLeafheartXoXo, Thundercracker76, and Willowfur.

I also wanted to thank all those who put this on Alert: AnimeWolfAlienRaptor4, EternalStrom, HopeQueen, iceriver223, oXoXLeafheartXoXo, Sharpwhisper, and SkaterGirl246.

And most of all, thank you for those who read this.

This does say completed, but I think I will put part of the intro for my next story on here as well.

Have a great Friday!


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